NeXtGen - Life Of The Party
by VexyJeanetteRaven22-6
Summary: A story about Damian Wayne, Lian Harper, Mar'i Grayson, and way too many OCs. They form a team like a mini-Justice League from the children of the Teen Titans, Justice League, and eventually the Young Justice. Each character has a small bio before they are introduced and all characters are summarized inside an AN within the first chapter. If you don't like OCs, don't read.
1. Chapter 1: Twins

**A/N:** This story centers around my team of descendants of the Justice League, Teen Titans, and eventually I'll add in Young Justice. There's Damian Wayne, Mar'i Grayson, and Lian Harper, but the rest are OCs.

There are Prem and Destiny, who you'll learn about in this chapter, and they're the children of my OTP BBRae. There's Austin, son of Clark Kent and Lois Lane. There's Charlotte, daughter of Victor Stone and Karen Beecher(Cyborg and Bumblebee). There's Spark West, son of Kid Flash/Wally West and Jinx. There is also Briar-Rose, the daughter of Jason Todd(who I have as both Red X and Red Hood in my stories) and Terra(yes, I ship Red X & Terra). There's Alexandria, daughter of Aqualad/Garth and Speedy/Arsenal/Roy Harper I. There's Jasper, son of Barbara Gordon and Kara Kent.

In this chapter, Damian and Mar'i talk about the situation Prem and Destiny are in. I'll explain the rest of the characters in more detail as I go along or you can go look at the OC page on my website( . ). Thank you for reading, and reviews are appreciated!

* * *

"I know you said they were taken when they were young, but they look. . .six." I'm sitting beside Mar'i, at her kitchen table, looking at photos. This one is of Prem and Destiny Logan, my sister Raven and her husband Garfield's kids. She reminds me, "They were. Don't know who or why anyone would wanna take six year olds, but they did."

"Maybe they had something against their parents," I comment softly. "Ever tried to figure it out yourself, where they went?"

"No, but I will now!" She goes to jump up. A hand on the collar of her shirt stops her, and Mar'i flips around. Her father is standing behind her, arms crossed. "Like I'm about to let two kids go probe around data records in my computer."

I turn slightly, seeing the Titans' computer systems out of the corner of my eye. "We won't be using your computer, Dick. We'll be using the Titans' computer."

"Sad as it is, I really can't argue with that. Still, what do you need to be hunting through stuff from the past for? It's not like we didn't do that when it happened." He turns back to the stove, where he's making us dinner. His wife, my sister, and the others have all gone out, and he would've gone with them. However, it was his turn to babysit me for my father, and Mar'i and I had already scheduled out a sleepover.

"I want to see if there's something you missed. I tend to think differently than you," I remind him. "I was trained as an assassin, though I don't let you forget that. I've got a villain's mind and I want to use it to maybe bring those kids home."

"Fine. You won't find anything, though." He pulls off a pot from the stove and pours plain noodles into a strainer. I turn around and Mar'i is already at the computer, entering the password for the database. "Where do you want to start, Dami?"

"Go to records from when they were taken." I instruct her, and then I take her place at the computer. I put it up on the projector and tap into the data. "Let's look at everyone the team faced back then."

"Killer Moth that day, Freeze a week before, there wasn't much going on," she notices. "Daddy, what were you doing back then?"

"Sitting around, mostly. That's why the twins vanishing was such a shocker, nobody had really riled us up." He pulls two plates out of a cabinet and looks over. "You might wanna run through the villain band data, too. See if you find something."

"Okay. . . . Here it is." I pull up mug shots and police records. Poison Ivy, Joker, villains I fight mixed with Titans enemies like Adonis and Slade. "Yitch. I hate Deathstroke."

"You're not the only one!" Grayson tells me, then holds up twin dishes. "Come eat. Mystery solving can wait."

Mar'i and I race to the table. She wins, having a head start. While we eat, I explain, "I want to search police records to see if someone said anything about Garfield or Raven. That'd be a great lead."

"Yeah. Hey, I got one!" She jumps up and flips over the back of the couch. She clicks in a name and comes up with a record of some villain named Malchior. "Read his bio."

Apparently, he's a dragon that was trapped in a book. Raven thought she was saving him, and also developing feelings for him, and he betrayed her. Lied to her face, which broke her heart and left her feeling like she couldn't trust anyone for a while. He had taken off, no one saw him for awhile, then he appeared at the Brotherhood battle. They took him out and he broke out a year before the twins were born.

"Poor Raven," I mutter. "How could he do that?"

"That's not the whole story," Dick tells us. "After he broke out, we got in a battle with him and he was harrassing Raven. He forced her into blurting out her most personal secret, which was that she liked Beast Boy. Then he beats both of them up, and runs off with them. Leaves them in a forest. Three days they had no food and only saltwater to drink. Then we find them and they're beyond the friend zone."

"Oh my God. That's like the coolest love story ever!" Mar'i exclaims. He nods. "Then the incident happened where Doctor Light had his lasers that ended up making Raven pregnant. We found out later Malchior was working with Light to get revenge on her. The twins came along six months after and we haven't seen him since."

"His behavioral pattern: does something bad, hides out from it and prepares revenge, longer with worse deeds. You're saying you haven't seen him in how long, eight years? And this was kidnapping the children of two of the world's best superheroes? Sounds like-" I analyze. Mar'i finishes with me. "He did it."

"Okay, geniuses, he wanted super bad revenge on Raven. Where did he take the twins and are they okay?"

"One step at a time, Grayson. Look up big cities he's been spotted in, and records of when he was seen there." I demand. My oldest brother turns and types into the computer. "Alright. US cities first, for convenience to Malchior, and then otherwise."

"Nice," my friend comments. "Okay, New York, Denver, Austin, New York, Miami, Miami again, New York, Philadelphia, Manhattan, I'd say definitely the East Coast."

"Obviously. Look up smaller cities on the coast, please." A list pops up on screen and I hurry to finish eating. "Funny how you spent so long looking and we found a lead within ten minutes, huh?"


	2. Chapter 2: The Hunt Is On

**Author's Note:** This chapter continues with Mar'i and Damian's investigation. Charlotte, Destiny, and Prem are mentioned, but don't appear yet.

Disclaimer: If I owned Teen Titans or Batman, these wouldn't be OCs.

Please review!

* * *

"Plates in the sink, table's wiped off, now can we continue?" I beg. Daddy looks us up and down, a slight scowl on his face. "Fine. But you need to be in bed at ten, since that's when everyone gets home, and I assume you want to watch a movie before then."

"Yes, we had that plan." Damian says. I love the way he talks-so smart, like we're so far below his level. I click up the records so far. Malchior hit several small cities on the coast of New York, a few in Maine, and quite a lot in the Carolinas. Damian studies the records. "I would say, since there was so much activity in the New York area, that's where they are. The North and South Carolinas were a close second, so a backup place, perhaps."

"Or a hideout close to them, so he could get there before any heroes." I point out. "And Maine or Florida were the backups, since he was there awhile as well."

"Perfect. Alright, let's look closer at the New York stuff." I narrow the search and click on the first result. "In November of the year before the twins went missing, he bought a house on the coast, he was seen living there for weeks, and left in January."

Damian takes over the computer, typing swiftly. "I want to see this house."

A slideshow of photos comes up and I look at them. A dock seems perfectly normal, a beach house built out of wood is nice. The light is dim, the photos taken at sunset. "Looks alright, I don't think he was home, the lights would've been on otherwise."

"Maybe he was home," Dami says. "But he wasn't in the house. Look."

He zooms in on a shot of the dock. In between the boards holding it up is a strange light. He puzzles over it. "A lantern, maybe."

"It might be a basement-no, look." I zoom in slightly farther and a set of eaves can be seen. "There's a house built into the sand. Look, there's a walk up to the dock, and a ladder to get up."

"Are there any better shots? Flip through them."

I find one that's a head on of the dock that shows below it perfectly. The lights in the windows are on and inside a small kitchen and living area can be seen. "And we know where the twins are."

"Bravo, Damian." I whisper, looking at the photo on the projector screen. "Daddy, Dami found them."

"That quick? How is that possible?" He walks over and looks at the photograph. Damian tells him, "Just found a lead and dug deep."

"I want an address and a report on how you came to the conclusion," Daddy treats us like real heroes for a minute. It's over when he notices the time. "And then we'll run out and get froyo and rent a movie."

"Yay!" I squeal like a child and then click open a report form. I fill it out while Damian finds the location of the house, and he pokes around the areas Malchior is using as a hideout. "I think he's still in New York with them."

"Yeah." I comment, filling out the report I printed. "And he's probably got either a villain friend or a henchman of some sort with him."

"If it's a friend, it's Doctor Light. Those two are very close." My father comments, searching for his car keys. "I would assume that's who it is, since Bumblebee fought him in that area just a few weeks ago."

"Oh, Charlotte's mom? I can't wait to see her again!" I say, distracted. "Her dad, too, he's fun."

"Just because he always brings you cool stuff," my father reminds me. I nod, laughing. "Char's awesome, though. We both listen to this artist, Aria, she sings some of the best stuff. That new song, Blazing On, that I've been listening to lately? That's Aria."

"I love her! The whole mystery thing is awesome." Damian says. I nod. "She disguises herself in a blurry black and grey setting, where her silhouette, and any dancers, are all black, and the edges are blurry. She's got grey as a background, and sometimes she has white designs. Like flowers or vines, or flames like she had in the Blazing On video. She's got one dancer that's usually with her, this boy who appears when she does narration or talking to fans. His name is PK."

"That sounds amazing." My father, a music addict like me, says. "I heard of her. She posts everything at an internet cafe somewhere and pretypes posts so no one can find out who she really is."

"Superspy!" I say, in a breathy whisper. Damian stands up and turns off the projector. "Come on, I wanna listen to that song. It's in my head now."

 _/Are we just a dream I can't hold on to/The handprints on the concrete we made as kids, are they still there/Do you still dream about singing for the world, if you knew me now would you be jealous/Remember singing on the way home and he'd laugh at us but we didn't care/_

"Laugh at us, we don't care," Dami and I sing together. We both burst out laughing and I shut off the boom box. "I wonder what that song was about. I always thought it was her thinking about how she grew up and now she's older."

"I thought it was that she left her hometown and became a celebrity. She kinda misses her hometown and thinks about what life used to be like." Damian says. I nod, thinking that he's right. "And she remembers how she was different as a kid and had lots of friends."

"That makes sense, like she was thinking about handprints she left in wet concrete that they let dry." I say, pulling my coat on. It's late and we're on the ocean, which translates to very cold outside, even in the summer. I lead Damian to the garage and we go out for a special treat. We deserve it, we're finding my best friends! I just hope the next step in our plan is to bring them home, safe and sound.


	3. Chapter 3: True Heroes, Still Kids

**Author's Note:** This chapter follows up Mar'i and Damian's discovery, and brings Prem and Destiny's parents back, at which point the news is delivered to them. It also mentions one of my favorite Disney movies, _Oliver & Company_, which of course the kids like. You'll see it appear later, too.

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, Batman, or any JLA members. If I did this would be a movie by now. I also don't own _Oliver & Company_ or anything that has to do with it. I wish I did, though!

Again, I highly appreciate reviews, both good and bad.

* * *

"You know what's kind of ironic about this?" Mar'i says. I look up from my froyo to her and she continues, "Prem used to watch this movie, _Oliver and Company_ , and it was about this dog gang that lived below the docks. Just like the house they're at now."

"Funny. Hey, I watched that movie. It was pretty good."

"The music's good." I take another bite of my froyo as Mar'i critiques the film. "The animation was fine, being how old it is. Hey, that's what we should watch tonight."

I nod, my mouth full, before swallowing. "Definitely."

Grayson rents the movie from the station and we drive home, Mar'i singing Blazing On again. When she said she liked Aria's music I didn't know she meant that she loved it more than life itself. _/My heart's beating for home now and I miss you too much to say it out/Why we can't come home, let's just say a dragon's breathing on me/A fallen star on my shoulder, too bright for me to see the door/I wanna say it, say it now, when night's on and the light's out/_

When we return to the house, we decide to make a comfortable spot to watch the movie in. Nightstar gathers up her blankets and I grab her pillows, and the sleeping bag I brought. She uses two stools from the kitchen to make supports, then creates a roof for our structure with the thickest blanket. Two lighter ones make walls and the plush black sleeping bag is laid out for a super soft floor. We lay down inside and use the pillows to prop our elbows up on.

Grayson asks if we would like popcorn and starts the movie. We gratefully take him up on the offer and settle in, previews rolling past on the screen. My brother brings in the snack and we decide to change into pajamas before pressing play. I go to the bathroom, putting on my Batman pajamas with the hood I like. Mar'i comes out of her bedroom a moment later in purple plaid footsie.

Once we head back, we press play and I shut my phone off. On the screen, a homeless kitten is hiding from the rain. Mar'i watches intently, obviously remembering a time when she watched it with the twins. I reach for her hand, which is sitting on the pillows beside the popcorn bowl. She takes it, turning to smile at me. We hold hands and watch the movie, singing along when Dodger races through the city.

A camera flash startles us both. Grayson is holding his phone, his silhouette glowing eerily in the room only lit by the movie screen. He explains, "I'm gonna update everyone, since they're posting every five minutes."

"Okay. And tell Dad that I would like to do this again," I request. He nods and both of us return our focus to Oliver's journey across NYC, trying to catch up with the dog. Mar'i bends in and whispers, "You know what's funny? Oliver's the kitten, right? And Green Arrow's real name is Oliver, just remember that."

I giggle, trying to be quiet. "Shut up! I was actually enjoying this movie until you said that."

"Oliver Queen, kitten extraordinaire!" She jingles. I giggle and snuggle closer, getting cold. "I got one. I am Oliver, richest man alive. I don't always become a homeless kitten, but when I do I make sure to sing catchy duets with dogs."

We both burst out laughing. Grayson, who I assume is in the kitchen behind us, says loudly, "Get some sleep, you two! Starfire will kill me if Night's still awake when she gets home."

"Okay," we murmur reluctantly. Once we've eaten all of the popcorn, we pause the movie. It's right at the part where Jenny sings to Oliver and they play piano together, which is my favorite scene. I tell Mar'i this while we walk to the bathroom. She says her favorite scene is where Rita sings to Oliver, teaching him how to live on the streets. I tell her, "I used to listen to that song when I first became Robin. Made me think of how my dad was teaching me how to fight crime."

"Yeah, huh?" We brush our teeth, I wash my face off, and she uses baby wipes to clean the light mascara around her eyes. Once we've finished with that we walk back to the living room. We watch the end of the movie and I pull the last blanket over us. Nightstar snuggles up next to me and I'm content, wrapping one arm around her in a sleepy hug. I whisper to her in the dark, just as we're trying to sleep. "Thank you, Mar. You're the best friend I've ever had."

"I could say the same about you," she murmurs, turning to press her face to my chest. "Maybe. . . maybe we're getting to be closer than that."

"Is that such a bad thing?" I murmur, laying down in the dark. I hear a door open and people walking in, the Titans have returned from their night out. I can hear Grayson saying softly, "I don't think they're out yet. Wanna be quiet so they'll think about sleeping."

"Okay. You said they have found something exciting?" His wife asks. Mar'i turns to me, though I can't see a thing. "Here's the part where Raven and Beast Boy find out. Wonder if she's gonna flip out."

"He will. She might faint." I tell her, as silent as possible. A single set of footsteps passes behind us and a flash of light turns the computer on. It glows a blue light, in which I can see my companion's dark hair outlined. "Projector's gonna click on. It'll get bright."

I nod and prepare my eyes. Sure enough, a moment later we're drowned in white light of files. Grayson tells the others, "Mar'i was telling Dami about the twins. I said he could look, but he wouldn't find anything. Of course, somehow he proved me wrong."

I can tell Raven's studying the report Mar'i wrote. "What? How is that. . .."

"They were looking at Malchior's records and Damian picked up a behavior pattern we weren't seeing. Then he realized Malchior was spotted a few times on the East Coast, and somehow he found this." Dick tells them. He switches the slides and Mar'i grips my wrist. He shows them the zoomed-in picture of the area below the docks, and then the head-on shot that reveals some of the interior. "That's where the twins are being kept."

"I think we're takin' vacation time, Rae," Garfield says. "Where is that, exactly?"

"New York," Mar'i pipes up in a slightly tired voice. "Just outside of NYC."

"You two have really outdone yourselves this time," Raven says. She's wearing a light blue dress I recognize as the one she wore to my birthday party last year. I lay my head halfway down. I give her a small smile and say, "Curiosity can't kill these two cats."

Beast Boy turns to Grayson and Starfire, who's moved beside her husband and just out of my vision. He says something softly, and I strain to hear. The only thing I catch is Dick's reply. "You'd have to ask Bruce about Dami."

"I'm going to call him, and if he says yes then we can go this weekend," the green animagi says. He turns on his phone and Raven walks over to us. She kneels down in front of us, and I meet her eyes. She smiles and I can see, in the blue light from the projector, that she's near tears. I give her a small smile, and under the blanket Mar'i's handsets itself down on mine.

"Thank you," Raven murmurs. "I thought we'd never see Prem and Destiny again. And now-"

She bites her lip for a second. "If we can get Bruce's permission you two are coming with us. I'm never going to be able to thank you enough."

"Two new friends is enough for me," I tell her. "And it's even better that they're family."

When she realizes that, through her, the twins are my kin, she laughs a little. The tears are starting to sparkle down her cheeks. She tells us, "Yeah. . . You two are true heroes, you know that?"

"Yeah." Mar'i murmurs. Beast Boy walks over, apparently done talking to my father already. "Bruce says it's okay. You're both coming to New York this weekend."

"It's Thursday night. When exactly did you plan to take off?" I ask. "I'm going to need to pack some stuff."

"We'll drive you down to your house in the morning. You're gonna hang around until ten while we book tickets and stuff, then we'll pick you up. We're gonna run back over to the Gotham Airport, get on a plane, and go." Beast Boy says. He's shaking a little as he talks, and I know he's trying to keep from getting emotional. "Meanwhile, Mar'i, you're gonna need to pack by seven thirty so we can get to Gotham by eight."

"Plane ride to New York takes what, seven hours?" Mar'i says. Gar replies, "Five, if you know people. We can get there by three and hopefully find this place by the time it gets dark. If we don't we've got all day Saturday, and then Sunday night we can fly back."

"And what will we be doing for that long once we do find the twins?" I ask. Raven laughs. "It's a _vacation_ in _New York_. We're going to have fun."

"I get to ditch patrol for two days, within which I'm saving people. Then I have a weekend-long vacation in NYC with my best friend. How did I luck into this?" I ask happily. I mentally plan out tomorrow morning. Raven replies, "By just being you, Damian."

I smile. Tomorrow I'm gonna help Mar'i pack, then I'll get some breakfast at home, throw together my duffel, and that'll be nine thirty. I can take Titus on his walk with TD, then if I'm back in time I can have a game of chess with Alfred before I leave. I snuggle in beside Mar'i for sleep-tomorrow's going to be a big day!


	4. Chapter 4: On The Way

**Author's Note:** This chapter sets Damian and Mar'i(with Raven and Beast Boy, of course) on their way to New York City. I bring in Tim Drake, Jinx(her civilian name is Jennifer) and my OC Spark West. If you ship Flinx or want more on Spark I would advise checking out my story _When The Storm Blows Through_ because it somewhat connects to this one. I will warn you, though, it takes forever for me to update. Freshman year of high school sucks.

Disclaimer: Teen Titans and Batman and all the characters in them are not mine, however badly I want them to be.

I would just love a review, too! Thanks. Bye.

* * *

I wake up unsure of where I am for a moment. Then, I feel Mar'i roll up against me and I remember. _We're going to New York together._

I shake my female companion and she wakes, blinking delicately. Her eyes meet mine and I know she remembers everything that went down last night. "Morning, Dami. Did you sleep okay?"

"Considering that you were next to me. . .. I haven't had a better night." She smiles. "You're sweet, for an assassin kid. Come on, I wanna get started on the day."

She dresses, and I go into her bathroom. I hurriedly dress in the outfit I brought, which consists of a white T-shirt, a grey hoodie, blue jeans, and long white socks. Mar'i comes out of her bedroom like she did last night, a change of outfit on. She's wearing a grey and black striped top, which looks like a cross between a sleeveless sweater and a dress. She's wearing a pair of white leggings underneath and grey slip on shoes. A white headband with black cursive lettering, reading _Believe_ , and a pearl necklace complete the look. "Do I look okay?"

"You look like you stepped out of a Hollywood movie," I say honestly. "Or a black and white themed magazine."

"Thank you. You look awesome too." She says, motioning for me to join her in her room. "Like a JD, maybe."

"One of the boys from _The Outsiders_."

"Yeah." She pulls down a suitcase from the top of her closet. She opens it, setting it on the bed, and I ask, "What're you going to bring?"

"Clothes for two days, my pajamas, plus a spare outfit," she folds up the pajamas she wore last night, packing them first. "And some travel size makeup. What else?"

"This?" I ask, holding up a small stuffed elephant. She gasps and takes it from me, putting it gently at the top of the bag. "How could I forget that?"

The stuffed animal was Grayson's, from his circus days. His birth father got it for him a few weeks before he died. He slept with it every night, and it saw a lot. It saw Robin become an identity, Batgirl join the fray, Grayson's Teen Titan days, the Brotherhood mess, Robin become Nightwing, and the birth of his daughter, who stands beside me now. Mar'i was given the plushy as a baby and she still cherishes it. She says "his" name is Winston.

I help her decide on outfits-a band T-shirt and jeans combo for tomorrow and a navy blue dress for Sunday-and she packs them while I sit on her bed. When she says she's going to pack her Nightstar uniform just in case, I ask, "Do you ever think we'll be real superheroes someday, Mar? Like Justice League members and all that?"

"Do I _think_? No, I _know_. Dami, we're going to be better heroes than they are. We're going to change this world."

"Starting with today, when you get in the car so we can go." Raven startles us from the door. She promises Mar'i breakfast once they drop me off and I ask if they want me to text Alfred. "I could ask him to make something while we're on our way."

They accept, and when we arrive Alfred already has breakfast waiting on the front porch. I settle into my favorite spot, the far side of the porch swing, and Mar'i sits with me. Beast Boy and Raven have to go, getting tickets and talking to a friend. Apparently, we're taking a private jet that goes without connections, just straight through, with a quick stop in an Indiana airport to refuel.

So I change my plans a little, fitting Mar'i into them. We eat homemade waffles, and I lead her up the stairs to my room. She finds it is a lot bigger than she thought and I remind her, "I'm Bruce's only blood son. I get run of the house."

"Lucky you," she says, scanning the huge room with envy. I smile at her, pointing out, "You're welcome here any time you want, you know."

I pull my duffel from under the bed and I pack two hoodies, two pairs of jeans, my Robin costume, and an extra pair of sneakers. I put the rock Grayson gave me around my neck, hiding it under my thick top. I throw a small bottle of cologne, a tiny tube of toothpaste, a jacket that was passed down all three of my brothers, and my DS into my bag. Then, I zip it up and check the time. Only nine fifteen-will Drake even be up yet?

I take my bag down the stairs and set it by Mar'i's at the door. I whistle for Titus, and the mutt comes loping down the hall. I clip his leash on and wait for a moment, just as I always do. If Tim is awake to hear it, he'll come downstairs-and sure enough, he comes down the hall in his favorite red T-shirt and jeans. He tells me, "Hey, Dami. Give me just a second, I can't find my sneakers."

"Kitchen, maybe? That was the last place I saw them."

Five minutes later, we're on our trek. The driveway of Wayne Manor cuts through forest, and paths crisscross it. We walk up the asphalt until we find the trail we always take. Titus pulls on his leash, eager to go, and once we're into the trees, I let him off his leash. He runs off, sniffing everything happily. Tim asks, "So, what happened last night? I know you were poking around Dickie Bird's files and found stuff."

"I was looking at pictures and decided I wanted to try to find the twins," I explain. "And we wondered who would do that to Raven and Beast Boy. So we found out about this dragon man and we looked at where people had last seen him, and we zoomed in on a picture of this house he bought. Under the docks, like a basement to the place, is this second house. We realized he's hiding them there."

"Wow. And to think it all came out of one villain's records."

"They need to keep away from behavior patterns," Mar'i says. "That's what tipped us off, was how he hid for a while and came out to do something dark. Then he'd hide until the next deed."

"The records of the little they'd seen him led us to the house. And the Titans East was nice enough to make sure there were photographic records of the place." I tell my brother. By now we're nearing the place where we turn. Once we go down another path, we'll come out in the backyard and Titus will have exercised enough to be calm for Alfred and Mother all day, while Father is out. "Hey, do you mind walking Titus while I'm gone?"

"Why not? I might even drag Cass out here." He says. We both laugh at the thought-violent Cass, walking through the forest with a dog. "Drag her out and take pictures!"

"You know I love that." He teases. Once we're in the backyard Titus leaps up onto the porch and waits for me. I give him breakfast, and then the stray cat I found on patrol a few weeks back. I named him Alfred, after the man who's taught me so much and given me a perfect life. Mar'i calls her dad to check in while I ask my British guardian to play a game of chess before I go. He accepts.

As I set up the board, I listen to Mar'i talk. "Yeah, we made it. Damian packed everything and we walked Titus with Uncle Tim. Raven says she's coming back for us at ten because we need to go through security and everything before we can leave."

Alfred and I sit down for a game. He wins, like always, and I teach Mar'i how to play. By then it's ten and Raven's coming down the driveway in her and Beast Boy's grey car. I throw my duffel in the trunk and I load up my companion's luggage for her. Once we arrive at the parking lot for the airport, we unload our bags. Raven grabs out her own suitcase and Beast Boy's backpack, and she leads us through the airport.

"So, you called in a favor or what, because this is a pretty sweet deal," Mar'i says as we walk toward the terminal. Raven pops the roller out on the girl's suitcase for her, and she replies, "I asked her for a favor and said I'd throw her son his birthday party in a week or so. His friend, too, with the same day."

I realize she's hinting that Jinx is the pilot. Of course, Jennifer West's identity is a personal pilot. Spark, her son with Kid Flash, does have his sixth birthday coming up. My niece Briar-Rose was born on the same day, so I suppose they usually celebrate together. They are very close. Beast Boy is waiting at the doors of the terminal for us. He says a quick hello and takes his Doom Patrol backpack from his wife.

I shift my duffel bag to the other shoulder and we walk to security. I post a selfie as we wait in line for security, adding the caption, "Who's ready for the weekend? I am!"

We have premium tickets, and we check in through a small gate. There's even a carpeted walkway out to the small jet, just for us. I say a hello to Jennifer and help Mar'i, too short to reach the luggage compartments, load her bag up. The two of us take seats across the aisle from Raven and Beast Boy. We all wear headsets so we can talk with Jinx during the flight. I see she has her son with her and I'm suddenly excited for this flight.

"Hey, dudes," Spark West says to us. "School got out last week and Dad's working with Grandpa on hero whatever's, so I get to fly to New York with you."

"We're spending the weekend on vacation since Wally needed to help Barry out. He's going to be gone until the party next week." Jennifer explains. I settle in with my DS, and Spark signs on to play me. We battle for a little, and at ten thirty the plane takes off. Once we're in the air, Jennifer tells us, "Two thirty we refuel. Hoping to be in NYC by six."

"I'm going to try sleeping, since I didn't last night," Raven says. Jinx laughs. "Excited, huh?"

"Um, yeah? Wouldn't you be?" She narrows her eyes. The queen of bad luck replies, "I know I would be, but I'd sleep in the interest of being awake when I got there."

"True," Raven closes her eyes. "But I'm still sleeping."

"Oh my God, Dami, Oliver the cat." Mar'i blurts out. I start laughing uncontrollably, and Spark somehow knows what we're laughing over. "I love that movie! Even better when you can pick on Ollie during it."

Mar'i starts singing, and Spark and I join in a moment later. _/Ooh, I guarantee you're gonna see how the best survive/We make an art out of staying alive/If you do just as you're told, these are the streets of gold/Every boulevard is a miracle ride/_


	5. Chapter 5: NYC

**Author's Note:** In this chapter, the travelers finish their journey, at which point Jennifer and Spark part ways with the others. Then, Mar'i and Damian go off one way, Raven and Beast Boy another, and Mar'i recalls something from her past with the twins that makes her realize _why_ she took the trip all the way out to NYC. Also, the mysterious singer that Dami and Mar'i were chatting about earlier? Her identity is revealed here, too.

Disclaimer: I don't know why I bother. Not like you think I actually own this or anything, right?

I'm begging you, review!

* * *

When we arrive in Indiana, I get out to stretch my legs. Beast Boy runs down to the main building to get us all some lunch and Spark asks me about Briar-Rose. "I want to get her something special for her birthday, but I don't know what."

"She loves music, a new album or something, maybe?" I suggest. He nods, thinking. "If only I could get her what she _really_ wants."

"What's that?" I ask. We're sitting on the steps of the plane, and Dami ran to the bathroom when Raven did. Spark tells me, "Tickets to an Aria concert. You know she never does those, though."

"We found the twins. We'll find a way," I reassure him with a smile. "Don't doubt us."

"I don't." He stands up and flips a cartwheel on the pavement of the long runway. "Does Damian's dad know about all of this?"

"Yeah, they called him last night and filled him in. I we went back so he could pack this morning, but he was already at work. Same as my dad." I tell Spark. He settles down beside me again. "Did you want to say goodbye?"

"Mm-hmm. It seems like he's never home, and I miss him sometimes. We go on patrol and whatever, but that's not the same."

"I know how you feel. My dad's gone helping my grandpa out a lot and I never see him. He and I go on patrol as Kid Flash and Impulse, but it's not the same as us being Wally and Spark West." I put a hand on his shoulder. "And Damian goes out with his dad like Batman and Robin. Sometimes I wish we weren't superheroes so we'd have time with our families, like normal kids."

Jennifer, in her pilot uniform, walks around the end of the plane and says, "Well, the party's in a week, right? I'll make sure everyone's got their family there."

"You're going to force Bruce Wayne to come to a party because Dami's there? I don't think he'll go for it." I say, standing up and stretching. The boy in question jogs up, Raven just behind him. She's wobbling on platform heels. Jennifer waits a few minutes and Garfield comes back with our late day lunch-burgers and fries. "Thanks, Logan. Let's eat, I want to be back in the air soon."

At three, we've finished eating and are back on track to New York City. I sleep for a while, and Dami shakes me when we get close to our destination. I look out the window to see the NYC skyline and the lights turning on as the sun sets behind us. Dami holds my hand like he did last night and I gasp when I see fireworks getting shot off. One explodes a few feet from the window and I hear Spark say through the system, "I think they're celebrating us tonight."

I pull out my phone and snap as many photos as possible. Damian has his cheek against the glass and he's watching the colorful explosions. Jennifer is trying to fly away from them so they don't blow up the plane and I think both Beast Boy and Raven are nervous. I, however, take a picture of Dami that I instantly love. He's smiling a little, and there's dim light in the plane to illuminate his face. The golden blanket of the sunset is on the horizon behind his face and a firework had blown up right beside him, sparkling green just like his Robin costume.

When we arrive at the airport, we touch down and Jinx pulls the plane into a hangar. It will sit there all weekend, until Sunday when we return. Suddenly, I remember why we're here. As we get off the plane, I ask, "Do you think the twins will remember us? It's been two years."

"They'll remember. _You_ remember that they spent six years with us before that." Beast Boy says, grabbing his backpack. I walk down the steps of the plane, Spark following with a red drawstring bag. I wait for the others to get off at the base of the steps, and I think out loud. "They'll have changed. What if they're not the Prem and Destiny I remember? What if we've grown apart?"

"Des was your best friend. I doubt that would fade just because someone forced you apart," Spark reassures me. "And besides, even if it did you live in the same house. You'd get it back after a few days. A week at best."

I smile, scolding myself for worrying. "You're right."

"Come on, we should be going soon." Raven says. She embraces Jennifer one last time. "Thank you so much."

"Of course. Good luck tonight," the pink haired girl whispers. "And call me if you need anything, I'm just going to be messing around with Spark the whole weekend."

"I will. Have fun," she wishes Jinx. We go our separate ways, and Dami and I walk together. Raven and Garfield lead us to the terminal, where we walk through crowds. I pull my suitcase along behind me and my companion swaps shoulders that he carries his duffel bag on. Raven rents a car as the two of us double check everything is in place inside our bags. I've still got Winston, two outfits, pajamas, and my phone in my pocket.

I want to go to bed already, since it's my usual bedtime. But we still need to find this house under the dock, so I get in the back of the grey car and Dami follows. Beast Boy loads our luggage up for us and hops in the passenger seat, so Raven can drive. He sets the GPS on his phone, and it says we're twenty minutes away. A trip down the freeway is in order, and once we get off there's still ten minutes of winding city streets to get through.

Raven offers dinner, so we get drive-thru at a chicken restaurant. Dami and I share nuggets and a huge grape soda, since we both love the stuff. We make it to the docks later in the night and the last whispers of the sunset are lingering on the horizon. Beast Boy unpacks flashlights from his bag. "I thought we might need these. We just have to walk the waterline until we find it."

We split up. Damian and I take one side of the harbor, and the adults take the other. I poke around one dock and Dami a second, and I almost think we're out of luck when we find a final wooden platform. A broken-down beach house sits above it-the one from the pictures. Time hasn't been good to it. Lights are on in the window and I shut my flashlight off. Dami does the same when I motion to him. We creep up on the side of the house, and we hide beneath the window. I peek in, afraid of what I'll find. Doctor Light is inside, and I gasp. Loudly. He turns to the window, but I drop down swiftly.

I cover my mouth as he opens the window and looks over the scene. Satisfied, he leaves it open and walks back. I can now hear his conversation as I sit beside Damian. He's talking to someone with a raspy voice, someone that sounds like they've smoked cigarettes, like burned sandpaper grinding against concrete. . ..

 _"He sounds like some kinda demon," Prem squeaked. "Like Des when she's tired."_

 _"Not nice, Prem!" She said, in that tiny five-year-old's voice of hers. I sat on the third kitchen stool, looking over at them. We were looking at a projector screen, drinking smoothies that Beast Boy had made. He used to do that a lot more, when Cyborg still lived with us. But he left when Charlotte was born, so he could take care of her. I turn back to the screen, where playback of a dragon morphing into a paper man is shown. "He reminds me of Diablo from_ Sleeping Beauty _."_

 _"Yeah." My friend agreed. We both sipped our smoothies really fast and then squealed. "Brain freeze!"_

 _All four of our parents laughed at us. I smiled at my mom, blinking at my dad's sparkling eyes. I liked those eyes, the ones he wore when he was happy. I closed mine._

Two and a half years in the future, I open those eyes. Malchior, the villain who took Destiny and Prem away. The villain who tore the family apart, made my mom sad for Raven. She'd cry sometimes. . . but nothing compared to when Raven would break down. That hurt worse than missing the twins. Dami whispers my name in the dark. "Mar, you okay? It's okay, we're gonna get them back tonight."

"He hurt Raven. Badly. I don't want her to hurt anymore," I tell him. He touches my hand lightly. "Hey, hey, hey. It's okay. Listen."

"Let's go. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can get back and watch that those kids don't get out. The brat boy was trying his luck again last night." Malchior says to his friend. I stay hidden and watch as they both get into a car and drive off, leaving a cloud of dust blown up. I cough a little and stand up. Dami follows, and he walks over to the dock. "This has to be it."

Sure enough, there's a lit window burrowed into the ground. I jump down the ladder, Dami beside me. I look into the window and my heart tries to stop. Destiny's sitting at a computer, saying something over her shoulder. I can hear her voice, muffled by the glass between us. "Gone. . .. Heard the car take off. Can record. . .. new video now."

She types in a command and turns around. Prem is behind her, and I smile subconsciously. He says something I can't catch and holds up a hand. Magic flows, grey and black, all across the room. Suddenly, I'm in an Aria scene-both twins are black silhouettes and the rest of the room is solid grey. I realize something and my breath stops again. Aria, Destiny's middle name, and PK, Prem _Karmjit_ 's initials.

My best friend has become Aria, her brother PK.


	6. Chapter 6: Destiny & Prem

**Author's Note:** In this chapter, the twins are introduced. I do have a story that explains how their parents fell in love but I don't think I'll end up posting it unless someone specifically asks. so if you want to, go ahead. Also in this chapter said children and parents are reunited after two years of being apart. If you find the plothole I'm sorry but I still can't figure out a way to put it together.

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, Batman, or the song "Why Should I Worry?" Those belong to DC Comics and Disney(respectively).

Reviews are appreciated.

* * *

Destiny is suddenly a black silhouette and so is Prem-the boy used magic. He has his mother's powers-and I realize something. Aria must be Destiny, and her dancer PK is her twin brother. Aria is Raven's middle name, perhaps she passed it on to her daughter? Mar'i realizes this at the same time as me and gasps. She must be excited, watching her favorite singer and best friend become one.

The girl records the entire video to her newest song, and then my friend stands up and walks to the door. I follow slower as she knocks. Destiny opens the door and I think her heart stops for a minute. She doesn't say anything for a full minute, and then she just embraces Mar'i. Both girls start to cry a little, and the younger one turns around and screams into the house, "Prem! Prem, get out here."

I watch the boy come around the corner and he stops in his tracks at seeing Mar'i. He races forward and hugs her with the biggest smile on his face. I pull my phone out and find Raven's number. It dials, rings once, and then she picks up. "Hey, Dami. Did you have any luck?"

"They're right here," I tell her. "The farthest dock on our side."

"I'll be two minutes." She hangs up and I put my phone away. Destiny's still crying and Prem's breathing deeply. I tell Mar'i, "I called Rae. She said she'd be a few minutes getting down here."

Prem looks me over. "You're Damian Wayne, aren't you?"

"Yes. And you're Aria's dancer, PK." He narrows his eyes at me. "The only way you'd know that is if you were watching. . .. Stalker!"

We both burst out laughing. He shakes my hand and smiles. "Malchior was saying that you'd been looking at his records. I saw some of your Robin stuff online a few weeks ago, that's something for a kid."

"Do you have any clue who my mother is?"

"Nope. But considering the training Bruce has given you, I don't doubt your skills." He praises me. I thank him and say, "Talia Al Ghul is my mom. She's one heck of a trainer, much less out in the field. Have you really been living here for two years?"

"Yeah. Come inside," Prem invites me. I follow him into the small home. "Destiny's got a laptop she had delivered to the house. Stole Malchior's credit card to buy it and started recording Aria stuff about a year ago. I used my powers to disguise her, and effects on the computer to polish it."

"I love the music, it's so futuristic. And the way you use drumbeats like that." I say. He smiles and says, "It was Des's idea, really. She's done most of this. We have a little bedroom back there and the pajamas we were wearing when we came. Other than that, nothing."

"I'm glad we were able to find you," I tell him. "I couldn't imagine a day like this, much less two years."

"That's not the bad part. It's that Malchior and Doctor Light are always home so we can never sneak out. And they've got henchmen that guard the way out when they're gone." He says. "The only way out is the water, and neither of us can swim."

"Poor you," I say, looking around the two rooms. He continues, "Malchior doesn't know we send out the Aria stuff. We snag Wi-Fi from an internet cafe down the street, but it only lasts long enough for us to send out a pretyped post before it shuts off."

"At least you're getting money from the albums and downloads, right?"

"Yeah, guess so. How did you find us?" He asks. He settles down by the window. I explain how I read records and picked up a pattern Malchior used, like a trail leading to the scene. "After that my dad gave me permission to head out here for the weekend. We go back Monday."

"What day is it?" Prem asks. "Stupid question, I know, but I can't keep track."

"It's Friday night. June fifteenth." I tell him. He thinks fast. "Spark and Bri's birthday is next week. They're turning six."

"Seven days. Spark flew out with us, his mom was the pilot. They're flying back with us and your parents are hosting their party to return the favor." We're swapping information faster than anyone I know can. I like this boy. "Your mom said we're having a weekend vacation once we get you back to a hotel room."

"Nice. So, since my mom isn't in too much of a hurry to get down here, tell me about you." Prem requests. So I settle into the windowsill with the boy and we share our stories. I tell him about my brothers that are never around, my sisters that could care less about me, and my adventures fighting villains. His stories are sweet-his parents treating him right, his grandparents taking him on a Doom Patrol mission for his fifth birthday. He tells me, "I was Magi and Destiny was Claws. We had uniforms and everything."

"Sweet," I tell him. "Did you hang with Austin a lot? He says you were his best friend a long time ago."

"We were tight. He and I knew everything about each other, and more often than not we had at least one sleepover scheduled. I'm surprised Destiny let me leave her that long." Prem smiles. "You're probably his bro now."

"He comes over a lot. His dad and mine are best friends, don't forget. Oh, I hope Rae's okay, she said she be two minutes and this makes ten." I shiver. Prem shakes his head. "Probably ran into one of the henchmen. We would've heard Light and Dragon face if they were back yet."

I watch out the window. Destiny and Mar'i come inside to get away from the chill and the younger girl starts humming "Why Should I Worry?" from the movie we watched last night. Des starts singing and soon, all four of us are dancing to the song. _/One minute I'm in Central Park, then I'm down on Delaney Street/From the Bowery to St. Mark's, there's a syncopated beat/Said, woo-ooh-ooh, I'm streetwise, I can improvise, said woo-ooh-ooh/I'm street-smart, I got New York City heart/_

We laugh a lot. When it gets to my favorite part, all four of us sing a line each. _/The rhythm of the city/For once you get it down/Said you can own this town/But you've gotta wear the crown/_

"Looks like four little somebodies are having fun," a voice says from behind us. Destiny whirls on her heels and races to the door, Prem following seconds later. Raven and Beast Boy embrace their kids, and tears roll down Des's cheeks again. Mar'i and I walk over and Beast Boy asks if they're ready to go. Destiny spins around, saying something in a squeaky voice about her "jammas" still being in the small bedroom. She comes out carrying two pairs of footie pajamas, one purple and one green. She wraps the laptop in the purple ones to protect it and hands Prem the green set.

We walk back to the car and Raven asks the twins a lot of questions: how were they treated? It was a hard time, but considering the circumstances they were okay. Did they get enough to eat? The last thing of food they saw was some crackers a week ago. No wonder both of them are so petite! Raven drives us to the hotel where she booked us a two room suite. The one with two beds is for us kids, and the other is for Raven and Beast Boy.

We take turns showering and while Des is showering I offer Prem my extra outfit to wear tomorrow. He accepts, thanking me for all the help. I smile and remind him, "You two are family. Least I could do."


	7. Chapter 7: City Kids

**Author's Note:** This chapter is probably my favorite, because it was super fun to write and besides, it wasn't intense or dark or mysterious. It was just kids being kids and enjoying a vacation to New York. Also in this chapter it shows how Destiny found a way to make her powers(which are animal-shape-shifting powers like Beast Boy's) unique. And the character of Alex Harper is introduced.

She has a super-special story. Since I ship Spaqua(SpeedyxAqualad), and I wanted them to have a kid in my story, I had to figure out how to make a gay couple have a child. I happened to be reading through some newer Batman comics and came across the line of comics where Damian was a test tube baby. That gave me an idea. I mixed that and the idea of cloning(like Lex Luthor did in Young Justice) and developed a way that they could've made Alex without having to involve a surrogate or anything. She's purely theirs. And she's... well, there's no PG way to put it. She's a bitch.

Anyway. Reviews are as prized as gold here, and I still don't own TT or Batman.

* * *

The next morning, we eat breakfast at the hotel. Destiny says she wants to buy something to wear tomorrow and Raven consents. She uses the excuse, "Besides, we've got Spark and Briar-Rose's birthday coming up. We'll get them some cool New York something."

"Sounds good to me," Destiny says, glancing back at her laptop. I decide it can go into my bag, and then we put the bags on the made bed. I listen when Dami leans in to Prem while we walk out. "I think Raven just wants to go shopping in New York."

"Totally. Maybe we can find a cool store somewhere and make her suffer," Prem suggests. I shake my head and walk out behind the others. We find a shopping center a few blocks away and Raven heads at a fast pace to the Hot Topic store she sees. Destiny beats her there, and I follow. The boys drag us into a video game store once we've spent a hundred dollars. Prem and Dami are awed at the sight of a Kingdom Hearts display.

I look it over. Prem murmurs, "I want this set up in my house."

"I'm with you. Let's go find a store employee." Damian gestures to the innards of the store. The boy gives him a look. "Why?"

"We'll ask them if they plan on using it after the thing's over. Usually, they throw them out. You can ask and they'll send them to you." I tell him. The first worker we run into just happens to be the manager, and she says it would be perfectly fine. My companion gives her his address as Prem and I continue to look around. Once he's done, I walk with Dami. When he finds a DDRMax game, which we don't have at the tower yet, he buys it. Prem, in return, gives him a KH giftset.

There's a pair of Key blades and a copy of Sora's chain. Prem tells him, "But you gotta roleplay with me. I call Riku."

"Fine with me!" I walk out, the boys behind me. Garfield comes out with a bag full of new discs, and Raven rolls her eyes at him. She can't complain, however-we bought twice as much at Hot Topic. We head to the food court at noon, and we are treated to orange smoothies and pretzels. I tell Des about when I heard Malchior's voice, and I thought of the night when we looked at files we couldn't understand and drank blended, icy fruit drinks. She looks me down across the table and replies, "You remember the strangest stuff when life tries to make you forget."

I laugh. "That's wise. Hey, remember when you left we were trying to learn combat? Did you ever change into that tiger?"

"No. I did, however, learn how to half-shift." She says. Destiny lifts both hands and shows me how she can give herself claws and a stripe pattern on her skin. I gasp and clap, as does Dami beside me. Soon, we go out again. We decide to drive around and see some of the sights. I promise Damian we'll see the Empire State building and Raven tells us, "I'll do you one better. We'll go to the top of it."

It's on the opposite end of the city from us, and we drive through the ever-present traffic to get there. By the time we reach it, the sun is setting. We head inside and ride an elevator to the top, where we watch the sun set. Damian smiles when he sees fireworks exploding again. Prem looks worried at them. "They've been going off for the past few nights. Once a firework went off across the harbor from us and the police were everywhere. They thought we had set it off and lived in that basement house. None of them believed that we were being held there."

"That's so mean!" I exclaim. Des nods, standing beside me. She watches the sun fading out on the skyline, and then she tells us, "One of them threatened to arrest me for lying to him, but once they found out who really did they took off."

"Hey, that's over now. This time tomorrow we'll be on our way home," Beast Boy reminds the twins. I relax for once and watch as the lights click on across the city. I spin around when I hear a familiar voice say, from behind us, "Well, well, well. Look who we have here."

Roy Harper is emerging from the depths of the building. His husband Garth follows, their daughter Alexandria holding his hand. I smile at little Alex and she gives me a nonchalant look. Dami nods to her with a sly smile and the adults start to talk. Garth asks, "What're you doing here?"

"Damian and Mar'i found out where the twins were," Raven begins explaining. Prem finishes for her. "So they came out to rescue us."

"How'd you two pull that one off?" He puts an arm on the railing. Dami explains while I turn to little Alex. "So, what's been going on with you? I heard your cousin Lian came to visit."

"She did. We went to a movie." Alex says, trying to get a good view. I lift her and set her on a bench, sitting next to her on my knees. She continues, "Then she did my nails. See, little arrows like on her costume. And Garth says maybe we could go to the party next week at your house, since everyone came to mine. Charlotte's definitely going. She bought a pretty dress and everything."

"I got a new dress, too." I tell her. "If you come, make sure you get there the night before. We can go buy you something pretty."

She turns to the boys, who are conversing with the other adults. "Garth, Garth, can we go to the party next week? And get there early so Mar'i can make me beautiful?"

"I don't see why not," he tells her. I forget that she has two fathers and that's why she uses their first names, but I remember before I embarrass myself by saying something. She smiles at the news and turns back to me. "I don't wanna fall from up here. It'd make a big splat when I landed."

"It would, huh? I think if you dropped a penny it might kill someone when it went down."

We decide to head back to the hotel soon and I say goodbye to Alexandria. Prem says, "Until next week, cutie."

I recall that when he and his sister were taken, Alex was a newborn. He doesn't know how much of a demon she can be when you say something like that, but she just rolls her eyes. "You're lucky, newbie. Don't keep it up."

On the way down, I explain the girl's violent nature to the twins. Des shakes her head. "Where did she get that from? Roy and Garth are so nice!"

"Nobody knows. It's like how Damian's parents hate everyone and he's awesome." Raven says. He whirls around and scowls at her. "My parents are perfect. Don't insult them like that. And by the way, Father does like you. He has a picture of you and Grayson in his desk at work."

"Sure he does." Raven rolls her eyes. We drive slowly back to the hotel, realizing we skipped dinner along the way. We decide that we would rather sleep, and we doze off before even making it into our pajamas. The next morning, we all take turns showering and getting dressed, then Damian and I pack away the video games and clothes we bought at the mall. We decide to go back to the mall again today, if only for a few hours.

Once we eat breakfast, which is at the hotel again, we get into the rental car. We head to a Vans store and I find a great pair of black high-tops for Bri. I buy Spark a new skateboard, patterned with grey and blue triangles. Prem and Damian find matching grey slip-ons that have infinity symbols that connect the left shoe on one pair to the right of the other. The opposite shoe on each says _True Bros Forever_.

They get the shoes and Prem tosses his old white sneakers, which are falling apart. Destiny finds a Claire's and we go inside, looking at earrings and T-shirts. She buys Bri and Spark matching shirts with an ocean print, pink because the sun is setting onto it. Two people, holding hands, stand as black silhouettes on the sand. The rest of the shirt is red. She says it's perfect since red is Spark's favorite color and pink is Briar-Rose's. I can't help but agree.


	8. Chapter 8: Homecoming

**Author's Note:** This chapter is also one of my favorites, right alongside the last one. It's the same sort of setting and it also brings up some of the other kids, who will appear soon. It sends the kids(and the parental units, of course) back to Jump City after their weekend, which wraps up in this chapter. It stresses how terrible Destiny feels about having involuntarily left her home and all her friends behind.

Disclaimer: I don't own Batman or TT. If I did things would be way fluffier in the DCAU.

Please review!

* * *

When we leave Claire's, I can't help but feel like I'm missing something. And then I remember - Charlotte. How could I forget the girl I spent most of my life with, before. . .. I ask Mar'i if she's changed. She walks silently for a minute, thinking. "Char, Bri, you, me, we've all changed. So has Austin, Spark, everyone."

I'm quiet, looking up only once to see Prem and Damian talking nonstop in front of us. "You have a new best friend."

"Des. . .. You're always my bestie. He's. . . I want to call him a boyfriend, but we're not quite there yet." She says. "I like him a lot, but I can't find the words to say. It's different than you and Austin."

"What Aus and I have, or had, is once in a lifetime. That's never going to happen ever again, to any of us." I tell her. We keep walking through the mall, not going into any of the shops. "I haven't seen him in so long. And what's worse is that he and I were fighting when I got taken away, so I never got to say I was sorry. A two-year late apology is just as good as none."

"Austin misses you," Mar'i makes me look up. She's still focused on the patterned tile beneath our feet. "Charlotte misses Prem like wildfire misses the wind, and Austin misses you. A few weeks ago, he was over and I was listening to _Apollo_ -you know, the song _you_ wrote? He said it was so much like what happened between you, and he said he wanted you back. He said he'd do anything to have you there again."

"He never got emotional when I used to know him," I say to her. "The world moved on without me, and I didn't have the chance."

"No, Destiny, he still doesn't. That's why it hit me so hard, because he never does that." She walks on. We enter an Asian store, where they sell food, decorations, weapons, and everything else that comes to mind when one thinks of Japan or China. We browse glass sculptures and I let my mind wander. "So, Mar, do you and the boy-e-friend ever do anything fun?"

"We sleep over a lot. He comes to the tower." She says, studying a few porcelain figurines. I find a tiny tree with a beehive and some swarming bees on it, and I buy it for Charlotte. She is one-quarter bee, after all. I find a hand painted waterfall with minnows swimming at the bottom, and I get it too, Austin still on my mind. Once I've done that, I walk outside with Mar'i beside me. The boys had decided to wait beside the fountain, and we join them.

Damian and Prem are just sitting, waiting. Mar'i can only take a second of the silence. She sets her bag down carefully, and stands up beside the water feature. She climbs up on the tile wall and begins to walk the length of it, her arms out for balance. Prem turns around and faces her, his hand balancing him on the tile. Damian watches her, too, with a wonder in his eyes. Especially when she starts walking on her hands back to us. My brother asks, "What're you doing?"

"Not sitting around and wasting my life," she replies coolly. When she reaches our sides again, I climb up on the poolside, too. I pull a penny from my pocket, saying, "Hope is for suckers."

I flip the penny into the air, watching it spin over and over toward the water. When it lands, it sends ripples out like a raindrop on a puddle. Wishing won't fix what I left behind two years ago, I know. I've never been much of a believer in that sort of thing, anyway. Charms and tokens don't really bring you luck, do they? Still, when nobody is looking, I kiss my crossed fingers, thinking, _Yeah. Hope is for suckers._

We head out for lunch soon after. We sit down at a pasta place and enjoy ourselves. Mom is already back in the role of overprotecting us, and she scolds Prem for slurping his alfredo. She makes Dami clean off his face, too, which I find funny. Once we've eaten, Daddy says it's time to get our stuff from the hotel and head to the airport. When we arrive, I help Mar'i with the daunting task of making all of the new clothes and shoes fit in her bag.

Daddy presents Prem and I with a new bag for each of us, and I fit my presents for my friends inside, along with all of my new things. I sit on the bed when I'm done. Dami is just finishing up, but he packs up and we're ready to go. We check out of the hotel and drive down to the airport. Mom says, "We've still got half an hour until the plane takes off, so we're gonna get some breakfast after we go through security."

I nod and Prem holds my hand. I'm afraid of planes after the ride I took to get across the country, and so is he. The fact that Jennifer is the pilot comforts me some, and then I realize what we have going for us. We make it through a VIP security line in record time, and we are sent to a gate where passengers get on private planes. We get food from the little coffee shop nearby.

While I nibble on a cinnamon roll, I wonder what I'll be doing on the flight. I don't have a DS like Dami or a phone like Mar'i-until Mom walks over from the counter where she's waiting for them to brew tea for her. She smiles at Prem and I, then pulls something out of her bag. She explains, "I found these in your room right after you left. I wanted to bring them just in case."

We are handed our phones. I smile and turn it on-full battery, all my apps waiting on me to play. That's not what shocks me, though. My screen is blown up with messages, the last was sent by Briar-Rose on my birthday last year. When I read it, I nearly cry, and then I vow to never let anyone take me away again. I want to send out messages before we get on the plane, but Mom said she wants to surprise everyone at the party.

Once we've all eaten, we walk down to the hangar where the plane spent the weekend. I whistle to get Spark's attention when I see him, and he flips around. An instant smile appears on his face and he runs toward us. Prem and I each hug him, and we walk to the aircraft together. He says he's happy to see us alive, and I respond, "I'm happy we got out of there at all."

"Yeah, it was pretty bad." Prem tells him. "But we're cool now. Got a new bro and that party next week, so I'm good."

"We gotta fly back first," Spark reminds my brother. Once we get on the plane, Jinx says hello to us both and gives us special headsets. They're just in case we want to talk to her and Spark, because they'll be in the pilot's cabin, with all of the controls. I turn my phone on airplane mode and get ready for the ride of my life.

The plane will need fuel on the way, and for that we're going to make a stop in Denver. Daddy promises us that we can stretch our legs there, at four-ish. We have another hour or two of flying, but we'll have dinner back at the tower tonight. Dami doesn't know if he'll need to go home or not, but either way he'll be home tomorrow morning. I snuggle into the seat's plush cushions and relax.

Prem, beside me, passes out after about half an hour. His head hits my shoulder and I support him until we reach the Colorado airport where we're refueling. I shake him awake when we get there and all five of us kids take a walk. Spark tells us how excited he is for this party. "It'll be the biggest thing since you two left," he explains. "Even Charlotte gets to come, which is rare. And I heard a rumor about Alex."

"Yeah, we ran into her and the boys," Mar'i tells him. As we walk around the concrete of the small airport's runway system, I think I'm the only one afraid a plane won't see us and run us over. We find our way back toward the plane as Mar'i continues, "Empire State Building. She said she's going to get there early so I can 'make her pretty,' and she might sleep over."

"Nice. Oh, better check my phone. Briar's been sending me messages all weekend." Spark says. "She's so excited for this party."

"That reminds me of what you said in Indiana," Mar'i tells him. I assume Indiana was the refuel stop on the trip to NYC. We sit on the plane steps as the pair talk. "How she wants an Aria concert?"

"Yeah. I found out who Aria is this weekend," she says. I smile, thinking fast. Spark mutters, "Don't tell me."

"It's me. Prem's my dancer." When I speak, I notice Spark's also thinking. "If you're Aria and PK, then maybe we could get her a concert after all. That's what she really wants, more than anything."

"We could totally do that," Prem says. "We'd just need a stage and sound set."

"For what?" Jinx asks as the adults walk up. Dami explains and they consent to the idea. Then, we re-board the plane and depart for Jump City. I have never been so excited to go home.


	9. Chapter 9: Everything I Am

**Author's Note:** This chapter is set in the POV of Austin, the son of Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane. I really like him because he's so much like his father, kind and optimistic. It's a fresh way to look at the story, too, because he has only been spoken about-and that only happened once, with Destiny. In this chapter he and his father journey out to Wayne Manor, where he meets up with Damian, who is a close friend due to their fathers being close. Some Young Justice characters make small appearances, too. Charlotte's also introduced, but I'll explain her in the next chapter. You'll see.

Disclaimer: I don't own TT, YJ, Batman, or Superman. If I did this would be canon.

Robin is red, Nightwing is blue, I would really like a review from you!

* * *

"Can I come?" I ask. Dad's at the apartment door, looking in the mirror. He straightens his Clark Kent glasses and looks down at me. "If you hurry. I'm sure Damian will be happy to see you."

I throw my shoes on in record time and join him. He and I walk down to the apartment parking and we get into the car, a nice new convertible that Dad just bought. He's going to Bruce Wayne's place to "talk," or in other words, hang out. If he's going to Bruce's, though, then Damian will be there, and I get to hang out with a friend. I text my friend on the way. "Hey, Dami dude! My dad's coming to see yours, so I'm hitching a ride."

He messages me back an instant later. "Awesome. What do you wanna do?"

"Kingdom Hearts roleplay," I respond. He just got this new set that comes with weapons so you can play in reality. He and Mar'i spent the weekend together and I wonder where he went to get it, since I want one. He sends me back, "Cool. I call being Sora."

"Then I want to be a Shadow," I tell him. "It's only good if you've got a Heartless to play with."

"Done deal. And after maybe we can hang out in my room," he says. I send back an "okay" and turn to my father. He's been silent since we left, and I think he only brought me along so I would stop pestering him about going over there. He spends a lot of his time with the Justice League, saving the city, or working with Mom. I miss when he and I used to just sit in the living room, watching TV. "Dad, why are you never around anymore?"

"What do you mean?" He turns away from the road for a minute. I sigh, thinking how to word it. "You're always on some Superman gig or at the newspaper. We never hang out anymore."

"I thought you hated it when I made you do that," he says. "You always said how bored you were."

"I was bored. But now that we don't just watch TV or hang out I realized I miss it."

"Well, I'll drop a shift at the Watchtower, okay?" I agree with the compromise. Then, I move onto other subjects. "Speaking of, do you ever see Connor or Kara there? They never call. Or come visit."

"I assume Kara's busy with Jasper," he says. "She's dropped most of her duties as Supergirl. And your brother. . .. I don't know about him."

"Probably with that team of his," I mutter. We stop at a light and my father turns sharply. "That team is the reason he's alive right now. He was kept in a basement, not seeing anything, and his whole life would've been like that. And after Dick left, the large team they'd made collapsed. He's got his girlfriend M'gann, Artemis, and Kaldur that count on him now."

"Yeah. And Wally left to raise Spark, too." I remind him. "Do you think he wants it back?"

"The team? I have no doubt in my mind. They won't let us induct them into the Justice League, either. They said they would all get inducted at once or not at all, and KF and Nightwing can't anymore." He says. I ask why, and my father answers, "They left the team for their identities, and they've been gone too long to be considered for induction. That's just the way the system works."

"I don't like it," I tell him. "Con told me his biggest dreams were a family and getting in that League with his friends."

"I can't say I enjoy it either, Austin. But there's nothing we can do, unless Dick and Wally decide to do something."

"Guess so."

We pull into Damian's driveway and Dad stops the engine. I open my door and am greeted by Titus's friendly face. "Hey, buddy! I missed you, fur ball."

I walk up the front walk and find Damian waiting on the porch. He and I initiate our handshake and Bruce comes out to say hello. I wave and Dami drags me inside. We race up to his game room, him winning as always. We close the door and Dami leans against it, panting. "Aus, I have so much I need to talk to you about."

"Speak, dude."

"Okay, first of all your brother is downstairs." He says, looking at me. I scowl at him. "You had better not be joking."

"I'm not. He and M'gann came down here from the airport and she's sick, I think. He was carrying her and she looked ready to pass out." He tells me. I process this and swallow. "I hope she's okay. Connor loves her to pieces."

"She's got some kind of really bad alien flu. Connor didn't want to try the trip back to Metropolis with her," a female voice says. I look up to see Charlotte with her arms crossed and one hip popped as she stands on the other side of the room. Dami turns to me and murmurs, "Something else on the list."

She nods to me, and I smile. "You hanging until the party on Friday?"

"Yeah. I don't know what the plan is for tonight, but tomorrow going to the Tower to help set up," she says. "Daddy got a call from Connor, saying M'gann was sick, and so he called Bruce asking if they could check her out here. He said okay and I came up to hang with Dami."

"Well, lucky for us. Don't wanna worry too much." I tell them. "Dad said he was coming out here because Bruce wanted to 'see him,' which is what he says every time they want a boys' night out. I figured this was just one of those nights."

"It was intended to be," Damian informs me. "Now come on, I want to do something fun."

"Cool." Char says. She plays Kairi, Damian pretends to be Sora, and I act out the part of Riku. We reenact a scene from the first game, and we're fighting over the girl's affections. It's decided that a race will be the decider, in the game, at least. We want to run through the whole house as our race, so Charlotte tells us to go to the west end of the house and come back. "And be quiet, okay? I think my mom has a migraine, with all of this stress."

"I wouldn't be surprised if that's the deal with my dad, too," Dami says. "First Mom and now this."

"What about your mom?" I ask. He sighs. "She wants me to enroll in public school, come fall. I like Alfred teaching me, and besides, I would be pushed up a grade anyway. I don't want to do that, and Dad's not going to make me."

"Poor you. I hope it works out," Char tells him. He shrugs and we get on with the race. We start off down the hall, but we stop when we get to the area open to below. I see Connor with crossed arms, eyes darkened with the lateness of the night. M'gann's passed out on the couch, her green skin paper-white as she half-shifts between her true form and her Martian disguise. Victor is looking over her, Bumblebee half-collapsed against the wall. She looks half-asleep, and judging by the fact she just flew across the country and was probably the pilot for most of it, I don't blame her.

Bruce is with Dad, watching from Connor's other side. They're talking, and smiling as they do. I wonder why, nothing exciting has happened in weeks!

When we finish the race, Damian winning, we go to play Kingdom Hearts. Charlotte observes, kneeling in her frilly dress, until her parents take off. M'gann is fine, leaving with Connor and heading back to the apartment, where Lois will greet them-she's been begging the pair of them to come home for a while now, and today is the day. Now I'm the one begging, asking if perhaps Damian and I can have a sleepover here until the sunrise.

They oblige. We change into pajamas, and I borrow a pair from Damian. They tell us to settle down and watch a movie, maybe, so that we can sleep. We dig through Damian's extensive collection and settle on a CD burned from his computer. It's a group of music videos, ranging from old stuff like Taylor Swift's _Tim McGraw_ to new things like Aria's new video, released this week, called _Highway to Home_.

We end up in a pillow fight and Damian ducks under the bed to avoid me. I laugh, chasing him, and without any room to strike, we stop. The wood boards are lined with writing, names, and I see Spark's, Bri's (of course, she's Damian's niece), Mar'i's, and Charlotte's. He points to them and says, "Put yours."

I do, but I have to ask why. He replies, "You guys are the first friends I've got. I want to remember."

"You do realize nobody is going to see these, right?"

"Yeah. It's. . . okay. When my brothers take off, my dad takes off, I'm alone. I remember I've got someone to be there if I just look here."

"True," I say, capping the silver Sharpie. Before anything, though, voices in the hall make us jump. "I wonder what they're doing."

"I know what they _should_ be doing-sleeping." My dad and then Dami's. We wriggle out from under the bed and face them. "No. Sleep is for the weak."

"Words are ignorant. Sleep is not." Damian's father bats back at his words. We reluctantly find ourselves in Dami's bed, with the covers over us, and our fathers walking away. I close my eyes, my friend doing the same, and swallow my excitement over the end of the week and the party within it.


	10. Chapter 10: Imaginary

**Author's Note:** In this chapter, Charlotte, who was introduced in the last chapter, finds herself making the trip to Titans Tower and then setting up for the party. If you're lost, check the title of this story. We're getting closer. Anyway, I said last time I'd explain Charlotte, so I will. There's a band, Good Charlotte, I was listening to back when I came up with the idea of Bumblebee and Cyborg's daughter. I thought, _well, of course Cyborg would listen to something like this. It's pretty metal-oh, I'm so punny._ Anyway, she got the name from that band. Good Charlotte.

Disclaimer: I don't own TT/Mar'i Grayson(does she count as Batman or Teen Titans? I don't know) and I don't own "Say What You Need To Say" and "Half of my Heart" by John Mayer.

Leave a girl a review, will you?

* * *

We leave for Jump City at about four am, Daddy's reluctance to leave his sick friend holding us back. And then he decides he's going to drive the whole hour long trip himself, Mom asleep in the passenger seat. I'm too excited to do the same, so I start watching the skyline and the cities in between Wayne Manor and Titans' Tower. Gotham, Dami's city, followed by Crimson City, the place belonging to Spark. Jump City, that mecca where Briar-Rose, Mar'i, and-oh.

Sometimes, when I'm half-asleep, even now I forget that they're gone. I don't have the tiredness to dull the pang of missing them this time, simply the distraction enough to make me think that. I sigh, wishing that Destiny and Prem hadn't gone away, and I look out at the unique red colored lighting of Crimson City. Spark's place, I remember, and his costume the color to match. His father's hair, passed down to him, is the blood-color, too.

So is Uncle Roy's and his daughter Alex's. Alex, my sister through our ragtag family in the Steel City tower. Yes, the girl joining us in two days-one, now, because it is early Thursday and the party is late Friday. I settle into my seat and sigh, causing my father to look back at me and smile. "Tired, Char?"  
"Little bit. I slept on the plane, remember?"

"Me, too. Your mom, on the other hand," he says, and we both shoot glances at her. Her long lashes are closed, decorating her gold-yellow painted eyelids. Her nails are the same metallic color, and I flash my eyes to my lap where mine sit, the same color. Her half-bee physique was passed down to me, wings folded under my sweater. I can't fly yet, but I will learn under her mentorship.

"Can you put some music on?" I ask quietly. My father shoots a questioning glance at me in the mirror, turning onto the on-ramp for the freeway. "Are you okay?"

He knows me too well, as I almost never listen to music. "Yeah. I was just thinking."

"The twins again?"

Of course. He knows all. "Yeah."

"Why do you dwell on the past? You need to move on at some point." He says, his single eye a blue grey. I nod, sighing, as he focuses on the road. "Des was one of my best friends. And I loved Prem, you know that."

"He gave you your first kiss." Like my father needed to remind me, like that day doesn't always make its way into my mind before I sleep at night. It was snowing and we were all in Steel City, waiting for the blizzard to clear off. We were watching some Disney movie, _Cinderella_ , I think, and I made a comment about the princess's love affair. He simply leaned over and kissed me, stopping my words, and I kissed him back.

We were three and just barely four.

"I remember." I shake my head, resting my cheek on the glass. He resigns from our conversation, turning on the radio, twisting the dial until the static stops and a song begins. I recall this song in my memories of Destiny. She'd sing for me, Briar-Rose, and Mar'i, our little four-girl group against the harsh world, and we'd wonder what the world meant when it sang those lyrics with the backdrop of piano, or guitar, and sometimes silence. A Capella.

And now, listening to one of her melodies as it was at first, I understand. I think of losing my friend and almost-boyfriend to a world I still don't understand, to someone that was never discovered. I understand what the words mean.

 _/I was born in the arms of imaginary friends/Free to roam, made a home out of everywhere I've been/Then you come crashing in, like the realest thing/Trying my best to understand all_. . .. All that took you away from me. . .. _/Oh, half of my heart's got a grip on the situation, half of my heart takes time_. . . Time to understand why I lost Des and Prem... _/Half of my heart, half of my heart/Half of my heart's got a really good imagination_. . .. It can see us together in that band we made up of all of us kids, when the days wore on with us young and wild and imagining a future never coming true. . ..

I wake up in Mar'i's bedroom, my friend rolling over and slapping me across the face. "Yow! Oh."

I shake her a thousand times before she wakes up, muttering until I whisper her name. She's awake instantly. "Char! When'd you get here?"

"Don't know. Fell asleep in the car and now I'm here." She laughs, dragging me out of her bed and knocking the blankets over. "Come on. There's a lot to do today."

The music starts up and so does the day.

 _/Take all of your wasted honor/Every little past frustration/_ I dress, share cereal with Mar'i, and then the preparations begin. The party for Spark and Briar-Rose is always a big one. _/Take all of your so-called problems/Better put 'em in quotations/_

 _/Say what you need to say/_ My head starts to spin. Kori and Raven pin up streamers on the ceiling, and we tie up bunches of balloons on every available surface. Eventually, Damian joins us on our venture. _/Say what you need to say/_

 _/Walking like a one-man army/Fighting with the shadows in your head/_ We sit at the kitchen counter for a late lunch of grilled cheese and soup. Mar'i and I decide on the schedule of the party-which includes an hour to open presents, something she insists must happen. Dami backs her up, saying it's the present Spark got for Bri that will need so long. I leave it be. _/Living up the same old moment/Knowing you'd be better off instead/_

 _/If you could only say what you need to say/_ We clean up Mar'i's room, knowing that we will end up there, even though the party will go on in the common area. It has for the past four years. I call Briar-Rose on the phone, wishing her an early happy birthday and asking her if we forgot anything. She requests a movie. _/Say what you need to say/_

 _/Have no fear for giving in/Have no fear for giving over/_ Austin arrives, on his way back to Metropolis after taking his brother to the airport. His almost-sister is feeling better, so he is free to head home, but Aus wants to check in. We decide to get two movies - _Maleficent_ and _Sleeping Beauty_ , so that Bri can pick if need be. _/You better know that in the end/It's better to say too much than never to say what you need to say again/_

 _/Even if your hands are shaking/And your faith is broken/_ Mom runs out to get the cake from Jennifer and the rest of the snacks from Trinity, and I am recruited to come along. I get to hang out with Spark for twenty minutes, and he seems especially excited. This party is going to be better than we thought it would, he says. _/Even as the eyes are closing/Do it with a heart wide open/_

 _/Say what you need to say/_ Damian is gone by the time I return, and I set up the counter as a snack bar. Mar'i and I put on our pajamas and then start a movie, painting each other's nails at the same time. Alex joins us and we decide to take a curling iron to her hair, that runs halfway between her shoulders and waist. She is treated to a face mask and the promise of makeup in the morning. _/Say what you need to say/_

 _/Say what you need to, say what you need to/_ We click off the boom box and TV only when our parents order us to, only when it is nearing tomorrow. I feel as if I have something good coming with the sunrise, and I suppose it could be the party with all of my friends. But still, Spark's words linger in my mind. "This party's going to be better than we thought it would be."

 _/Say what you need to say/Say what you need to say/Say what you need to say/_


	11. Chapter 11: Ritual

**Author's Note:** Okay. I am a firm believer that Red X is Jason Todd. I also ship Red X and Terra. That means I ship Jason Todd and Terra. Got it? Okay.

Anyway, this chapter centers around their daughter, Briar-Rose. Her name comes from the original "Sleeping Beauty" and she lives outside of Jump City in a secluded house. her parents don't like people much. They also let the girl get away with a lot, one example being that she wears a lot of makeup. Jason wouldn't make a good parent, this I know. He's my favorite fictional character, DC or otherwise. That aside, remember the singer Aria? The one who turned out to be very close to the other kids, even if they didn't know it? Yeah. Bri is a big fan. Just so you know.

Disclaimer: If I owned anything found in this chapter(other than Briar-Rose, Aria, and Aria's songs) this wouldn't be _fanfiction,_ now, would it?

Review if you love Jason Todd! Actually, review if you don't, too!

* * *

I roll out of bed, standing with blurry eyes and looking at myself in the mirror. My blonde hair is a tangled mess, my eyeshadow in streaks down my face. I really need to remember to take it off when I wake up!

Then I remember it's my birthday. Of course, the party's today.

I get my phone out, for once beating Spark at sending a "happy birthday" to him. I go out of the text and scroll down my contact list, and all of a sudden, I stop. Destiny's name glows in all of its electronic sparkle, and I sigh. She'd get up at midnight just to be the first one to text me, and I would do the same for her. Every one of her past birthdays, even after she left, I've sent a message.

My hair is brushed fifteen minutes later. The light curls I inherited from my father are already springing into the ends. I put on a pink and red tie dye top and jeans, hoping that it won't rain. The clouds have been threatening all week.

It's another hour before my parents are awake, so I use the opportunity to take a walk in the forest. The sunrise peeks over the trees by the time I return, my boots wet from the morning dew. My mom is awake, making something on the stove. I smile, giving her a gentle hug before sitting at the dining room table. She tells me, "I figured you'd be out there by now."

"I always am," I remind her, taking a glance at her belly. It's swelling more and more each day, a large bump in place of her usually flat abdomen. "Well, today that's coming in handy. We gotta be at the Tower by one and your father is taking you shopping today. I daresay you're long since ready?"

"Yep. Where is he, anyway?"

"Taking care of some last minute adjustments for the party. The-guess I should keep the surprise to myself, huh? Wait and see." She slips the eggs she's making on a plate, accuracy long practiced coming to light. "What is it?"  
"Spark got you something very special. Plus, Dami and Mar'i's little-well, you'll see. Trust me," she says, handing me one of two plates and settling down with the other. I laugh a little. "I do, Mom."

She laughs, taking a bite before continuing. "Yeah. I just hope this new baby does, too."

"It will. I know it already."

Soon, my father arrives, stopping in the driveway only long enough to let me jump in. He turns around, spraying bits of gravel at my mother on the porch, and drives off. I laugh, gripping the door handle, and he drives faster. By the time we reach the city, we're going almost ninety-five miles an hour. We slow down on the outskirts, not really wanting a ticket, and we get to the mall soon enough.

The building is a huge grey brick one. The parking lot is on the east side, spanning the entire block. On the west is a huge outdoor dining area for the food court. Beyond that is the sparkling ocean, and it is our first stop. I play around on the beach for an hour and then we get Chinese food, and enjoy the warm midday air. "Happy birthday, baby."

"Tank ou," I say, my mouth full, and we both laugh a little. "Enjoying your day?"

"Yeah. It's a great day," I let out a huge breath. "Can't wait for tonight, though."

"Just wait until the surprise. I was setting it up this morning."

"What is it?"

Well, I guess you'll just have to wait and see, huh?" He stands up to throw out his tray, tapping my nose with his pinky. My face falls in mock disappointment, and when he returns, I tell him that it isn't fair. He sighs, putting one elbow on the table while I finish up. "A lot of things aren't fair, Briar-Rose. You just gotta wait, okay?"

"It's a long time to wait."

"It's four hours-actually, less than that. You're going to be shopping, too, the time will pass so fast."

"I guess so. Well, can we get going now?"

"Yeah. Let's go."

We clean our table and I check my purse. Exactly one hundred dollars, fifty from each of my parents, is inside. I have a folded up list, too, and I am ready to go. I read down it once, mentally putting down which stores are closest, and we start off. It's been like this for a few years - Mom and Daddy give me money, Daddy drives me to the mall and takes me to the stores. A ritual, of sorts.

It takes nearly three hours to gather everything-new clothes mostly, a couple of movies, some makeup. My favorite is the new Aria CD, released two weeks ago, which has her singles _Highway to Home_ , _Lock Me Out_ , _Blazing On_ , and _Apollo_. It's a store-exclusive with a track only available there. I am so excited, and Daddy says we have time that I can go home to listen before the party.

Today is truly a great day.


	12. Chapter 12: Dawn

**Author's Note:** This chapter follows up on the last one, after Bri got back from the mall. She's listening to the Aria CD, which has a track on it exclusive to that store. The track is there because Des wanted the place close to her home to have something special from her, even though she did end up coming home. It doesn't say that in the chapter but that did happen. Just so you know. Anyway, the song in this chapter, "My New Dawn," was based on Taylor Swift's "Begin Again," which I thought really fit with the whole coming home theme.

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, Batman, or Taylor Swift's "Begin Again." The latter was only used for reference.

Please leave a review! I want feedback on the song!

* * *

When I get home, I run up to my bedroom and the laptop inside. I unwrap the CD in record time, putting it in the drive. It spins for a moment until the music player comes up and I press play. Then, the exclusive track begins-it's entitled _My New Dawn_. She announced the release of the store exclusive on Monday morning, and I knew I needed to listen-but I didn't realize something until now.

This song reminds me of the twins-no, most of Aria's songs do. And I miss them both-they'd been friends with me my whole life, just down the street forever, and it hurts so much all of a sudden to hear this. To think about homecoming and to realize my companions are probably gone already. They're never going to see it.

 _/The air was cold, like summer and spring when they're dancing/Two seconds and I realize I'm free, so I start running/We unlocked the door, I went in and it took twenty minutes/Starting singing like I was a little girl again, sitting in that window/I start talking and talking to the friends I used to have and we are never going again/Those headphones on, I start laughing and the sun starts setting/I think a lot in those next few hours, this hometown of mine has never seemed so much like home/And we walk down the block, your hand is across mine, and the sun rises and it's my new dawn/_

I start to dance, an eerie chill spinning down my back. I think about last summer, when my parents and Spark's took us both down to the beach, and we'd played until it started to get cold. At that point, my friend loaned me his jacket-and our parents were still talking, oblivious-and then we walked to the car. We talked, too, and I learned a lot about him that day. The scent of the ocean is still woven into the red and yellow pattern of the hoodie, which I've kept.

 _/I don't want to leave this town, I don't think I'm gonna leave this town/She stayed beside me the whole night long and we woke up smiling/I got in that car and we drove until we ran out of road/The past is so definitely past and I am free/He's running beside me and the sky is bright, never been so bright/She's never gonna get this song, she'll listen but she's not gonna understand/Clicking on the concrete, got those high heels on/But you tell me you want me to be/Who I want me to be, who I wanna be/_

I tumble over from dizziness. I start to think about Charlotte and the autumn before last. She'd come out, probably because her mom was there with Raven-and this was before we realized fully the crash-and-burn of the twins' disappearance. We had gone out into the forest, playing in the leaves, and my dad watched us. Mar'i was there too, in and out of the house for a week. I had never seen so much orange, yellow, red-and I still haven't.

 _/I start talking and talking to the friends I used to have and we are never going again/Those headphones on, I start laughing and the sun starts setting/I think a lot in those next few hours, this hometown of mine has never seemed so much like home/And we walk down the block, your hand is across mine, and the sun rises and it's my new dawn/My heart won't stop, and it's taking my head by storm/And I almost bring it up but I start to think/I remind myself that this is now and for once, I'm content/Just to be here, and it's like the first time, not the past/_

I stay on the floor, watching the sunshine from the window. Days and days are shining in that light, too many with Destiny and too many more without.

 _/I start talking and talking to the friends I used to have and we are never going again/Those headphones on, I start laughing and the sun starts setting/I think a lot in those next few hours, this hometown of mine has never seemed so much like home/And we walk down the block, your hand is across mine, and the sun rises and it's my new dawn/Oh, I am homecoming queen with a friend as my king/I realize our everything wasn't just a one-time thing/And they ask me to sing, so I wait for the beginning/The air was cold, like summer and spring when they're dancing/_

I wake up with my daddy shaking me. "Hey, princess, time to go. Get dressed."

"Oh, oh, okay." I sit up and shiver, the icy air conditioning having blown across my floor for who knows how long. I duck into my closet and grab the gorgeous party dress I'm going to wear. It has a rippling pink skirt running to my knees and lace from the waist up, tying the same pink color down. I have the palest of pink tights to go with it, which I also grab, and I go through the huge closet to the connecting bathroom.

I dress, putting a brush and curling iron through my hair. I pull on my shining pink heels, snapping the metal buttons closed. I pull a headband over the blonde locks, making sure that the plastic band is straight, and then I turn off the light. I'm in the car waiting for my parents soon enough, and when they get in, I drop back against the seat. "Daddy, you were at the tower today, right?"  
"Yeah."

"Did Char and Alex come?"

"Yep. They flew out last night." He glances at me in the rearview mirror. "Spark was there but he went back to his place for something. I imagine he will be waiting when we get there."

"Awesome!"

"Bri. Seat belt." My mother is as cautious as ever, her own black belt already clicked on. I do as she says and we drive down the bumpy, unpaved driveway. We're on the single lane road to the city, and then we're crossing a parking lot, abandoned long ago. It's the only way into the city. We're on the bridge into Titans' Tower before I know it, and I feel my breath catch in my throat. Everything goes numb with a shock for a moment, and then I gather enough of myself to get out of the car.


	13. Chapter 13: The Concert

**Author's Note:** Here we are. We have arrived at the party I have been mentioning for most of the story. We also get to find out what Briar-Rose's surprise is. This chapter puts Alex and Charlotte together, which I loved doing, since they're polar opposites. Finally, we introduce Jasper, who is the son of Barbara Gordon and Kara Kent. Yeah, I ship them. So what? Anyway, Jasper's origin is pretty much the same as Alex's.

Disclaimer: I don't own Batman, Superman, Teen Titans, or YJ.

Please review!

* * *

"Hey, Spark," I hear her calling before I see her. Briar-Rose, the girl I have been friends with since the day we were born-which today happens to be the anniversary of. I get up from where I was waiting on the front walk, and I join her. "Hey, babe," I tell her, planting a kiss on her forehead. She lifts herself up onto her toes and puts her arms around my shoulders, and she smiles. I continue, "What took you so long?"

"New Aria CD," she sighs. "It's great."

"Which reminds me, I got you a really cool present. Aria-type present."

"What is it?" She asks. "They said it was awesome but they wouldn't tell me what."

"You'll see." I smile. "Give us twenty minutes and you'll know."

"Everything's a 'you'll see' today."

"I know. But trust me, you'll want it to be a surprise."

"You sure?"

Of course, I am. I reassure her this and we head up on the elevator. Her mom announced today that she's pregnant, and I sneak a glance at her. Of course she is, now that I look her over. She's been home a lot, but now that she's back out I see her bump, huge already. I whisper to Bri, "Heard about your mom today. How far along is she?"

"Seven months," she replies. "So excited."

I put an arm around her waist, noticing that she's shaking. "What's the matter?"  
Just really freaked out. There's never been a party this big before," she reminds me. I laugh. "You haven't seen the half of it, Briar. Just wait until we-"

The elevator gets stuck. Murphy's Law, I guess, and we have to wait for them to get us up. Briar-Rose is wearing a really pretty dress and I a suit, so we really can't sit down, either. I pull out my phone and send an SOS. She asks who I texted and I reply, "Damian. He's been in and out of the tower since last weekend."

"Didn't your mom fly him out to NYC with Mar'i for something?"

"Yeah. You'll see why in a minute."

Damian texts back that he'll have us up within ten and then it hits me. "How'd you know that?"

"I'm his niece, remember?" She asks, playfully punching me. "I cannot believe you forgot that. Again."

"Me neither," I laugh, which causes her to laugh, too. We are in the elevator for five minutes more when a slow song comes on, a love song. Dami texts, "There. Dance."

"Thanks, bro," I text back, and I take Briar's hands. She starts up again, but a realization stops her. "What-oh!"

I spin her on my fingertips and she smiles. I realize that I missed her touch before, now that I have it. "Love you."

"I love you, too." It's seemingly too soon when the music slowly ends, the elevator moves again, and the doors open. "What do you think?"

"I think it's awesome," she says lightly, but I know she has more to say. "But the stage is new."

The stage she's referring to is a black platform sticking out from the huge window on the opposite side of the main room. "We needed it for your present."

"What _is_ my present?"

"Nice try, Briar." I walk, holding her hand, to the kitchen. "You'll see."

She sighs, audibly, and Damian comes up, hazel eyes sparkling with frustration. "Sooner than you think, Bri. Come on."

We sit down carefully in the chairs set up in front of the sofa. Damian stands until Mar'i runs in, whispering something to him, and then he sits down. The half-Tamaranian turns to Briar-Rose. "Happy birthday," she says breathlessly. They embrace and Mar'i takes the chair on Bri's other side, Damian on my other side. Our parents take notice and come in from the kitchen, where they were talking-even Damian's parents. Bruce asks, "So everything's all done?"

"Except Austin and Jasper aren't here, yeah." He replies, checking his phone again. "Aus's not answering his phone."

"He'll be here soon. Just wait," Raven says. If Bri notices her upbeat attitude, less dark than usual, she doesn't say so. "Yeah, I will be."

The kid, dressed in a blue T-shirt and slacks, comes running across the room. "Got held up at my parents' office. Phone from Kara."

"What's up?" Damian questions as his friend takes a seat beside him. "Don't know. They're gonna be late, though."

"Great." A thin, strong voice comes across the room. "I get all dressed up for this boy and he's _late_ ," Alex spits the word out like poison. "I swear, if he's got another one of his 'farm-emergencies' holding him back-"

"Calm down," Charlotte steps out of the doorway behind the younger girl. Both are dressed up, as per my request for formal dress. "The world won't end just because he had problems at home."

" _My_ world will end!" She cries hysterically, storming down the stairs. "And anyway, what's going on? I just _have_ to know."

"Patience," Damian commands, leaving nothing else for her to do. Charlotte murmurs, "Wait, he'll come, and then we can get started with. . .."

Her trailing off proves she's as uneasy with the circumstances as everyone else-except me, Damian, and Mar'i. I nod, telling everyone, "It's called a _surprise_ for a reason, okay?"

Fortunately, Jasper arrives moments later, at the heels of Barbara Gordon and Kara Kent, his parents. "So, so, so sorry. Goats got loose."

"So that's why you couldn't get your butt out here. Right," Alex huffs. She flicks her shoulder-length hair and turns away, but he walks over to her anyway. "I'm sorry, okay? I'll be better for you," he says, kissing her cheek and she looks back at him. He barely gives her a glance before sitting down, murmuring something in her ear. She replies and I catch a few words. "Something 'bout a 'surprise'. . .. Starts soon, I think."

"Okay, I think it's ready," a voice calls from behind the curtains. I recognize Jason Todd and so does Briar, who stiffens beside me. "Will you tell me yet?"

I look over my shoulder to my mom, knowing that we're behind schedule already. She nods, flicking her hand lightly toward the stage, and I smile. "Okay, Briar. Watch."

She's shivering with excitement and perhaps anxiety? But I see Jason step from behind the edge of the stage, where there's a curtained area to conceal the surprise. Music starts up and our little group falls silent. I know Bri recognizes the tune and Mar'i smiles beside her-the song is one of her favorites. The black curtains ripple and out steps a figure seemingly painted in black and white, followed by a second silhouette in the same shades ranging from midnight to moonlight.

The mesmerized look in her eyes tells me Briar is delighted. The singer begins, her dancer even providing backup vocals for the live performance. Yes, I did get my girlfriend a concert by the super-secretive pair of Aria and PK.


	14. Chapter 14: Revealed

**Author's Note:** This chapter reveals to everyone that the twins are back. It's high energy, like kids are. Almost all of the NextGen kids are in one room in this chapter. Almost all of them. It also resolves the disagreement between Prem and Alex, which started back in New York.

Disclaimer: I don't own the kids parents or the setting. This chapter mostly centers on OCs.

I want a review from you like the Teen Titans fans want a sixth season.

* * *

 _Highway to Home_. _My New Dawn_. _Blazing On_. _Lock Me Out_. _Apollo_. Through it all, I'm mouthing the words and shivering with purified joy. I flick my gaze to the others - Damian smiles sometimes, Mar'i is swallowing excitement, Austin's shivering, Charlotte is hypnotized, and Jasper and Alex are unable to even blink. At the end of the fifth song, Aria pauses, her black orb-like eyes wide. PK, beside her, whispers, "You know, we could just do it now. We did have setbacks."

I don't know if we're meant to hear, but wonder is filling my veins and I'm locked up and unable to speak. Aria murmurs back, "One more."

A new song, and I'm sure it was written with this party in mind. The singer tells us the name of the song - _Forever Doesn't Mean Today_ -and I can barely breathe with excitement. The lyrics pump from the microphones and make the floor shake. When it ends, PK flips a final cartwheel and nods to Aria, who sighs and walks to the edge of the stage. I take her in as she does us-a silvery dress with leggings of charcoal underneath. Her skin is pale as starlight and her features are shadows. She is barefoot and has black nail polish on her toes and fingers.

PK has a baseball cap on, swirling black print on a grey canvas. His eyes, too, are dark circles, and his smile is a thin warm line. The grey of his skin merges with his shirt collar, which buttons down in a metallic silver line. His slacks are dark, a charcoal color, and his shoes are even closer to black. The sleeves on his shirt fold in perfect lines, but there's something about the bracelet peeking out from under one that I remember from somewhere. A video, maybe.

The pair stands on the edge of the stage and his voice sparkles into the pretty much silent air. "You know what's great about this?"

"That they have absolutely _no idea_ they're about to get the surprise of their lives?" She says, smiling. And then I see it as PK flicks his wrist-the twins. Prem's bracelet from a carnival one summer. Destiny's dress that she's had since she was three, but never fit into. The magic ripples out and there's color in the twins' eyes, glittering down to their outfits and making them bright again, too. I cover my mouth.

Charlotte's gasp is reflected with one from Austin, and I want to run to Des. To embrace her and tell her everything from two years and ask a million questions. I want to do the same to Prem, to scream and laugh and be okay. Instead, they step down from the stage, and I release the emotion of. . . something. A scream of excitement and I leap up and everything blurs for a second.

Austin kisses Destiny, and Charlotte buries her face in Prem's chest. Both of them are crying, and I hear her whisper that she loves him so much. He replies with something muttered into her hair. As we say our hellos, dots begin to connect. Prem and Des were in New York, but somehow they were discovered as Aria and PK so they were doing a concert as a present to me.

Jas and Alex probably don't remember them from before, which means they probably don't understand the emotion explosion. Destiny whips out her phone, and says, "I would've done this _last weekend_ , when I got my phone back, but our parents are very stubborn in their decisions."

She clicks a few things and then my phone beeps. She's texted me a happy birthday, which reminds me that we always send each other texts on our birthdays. Austin reads a text he received, as does Charlotte, and we all start to smile. We settle down beside one another on the edge of the stage, Des talking a mile a minute. "We were in this house in New York and yeah, it was Malchior and Doctor Light, and anyway, we were in this kind of basement. I used dragon-face's credit card and bought this laptop, yeah? Used it to make videos, and I got a little Wi-Fi here and there from a cafe down the street so that I could post videos. Aria."

She gasps for air and Prem puts in, "This was all Damian and Mar'i."

I flick my gaze to the pair, which are silently laughing. I scowl at them and Austin asks, "What's so funny?"

"You guys," she tells us, eyes glittering, and he continues, "Are hysterical."

"How, exactly, are we so?" Char questions. Mar'i states, "You were all 'Ohmygosh, so awesome,' and then just silent, and then there's all of this screeching like-like-"

"Monkeys," Dami puts in. "Worth the twenty minutes we spent, definitely."

"What?" I ask. He nods, standing up and walking over. "Tsk, tsk. I still don't understand it myself."

"I'm done already," Spark says. "We spent forever in that elevator, now it's going to rain, what're we doing?"

"Yapping like dogs," Alex scoffs. Prem laughs. "I like you more and more."

"Watch it, pretty boy. I could beat you down so easily."

"Wanna bet?"

"Already have," she says, her nose practically touching his. She's on her toes and he's sitting. Damian's phone rings, the tone an Ingrid Michaelson song. "Hey, ginger. . .. Of course. We already had the concert, but you're definitely welcome to come for the rest of it. . .. That's fine. Oh, and remember formal dress. . .. Yeah. See you soon."

He shuts the device off and says to us, "Lian's coming over. She says she might be able to stay for the sleepover."

"Will you?" Mar'i asks. He shakes his head. "Unless I can get out of patrol, no-and I can't. Trust me."

"That sucks," Aus says. I nod and then see movement out of the corner of my eyes. Prem's wrestling Alex down on the stage, but she's fighting hard. She flips his lithe form over and he lands on his back, winded. She mutters, "I won."

He admits his defeat, sitting up, and she settles beside him in her party dress. "You know, you're pretty alright."

"So are you."


	15. Chapter 15: Weakness

**Author's Note:** This is the point where they're more heroes than kids. Dami's parents have to leave him, so he gets to skip patrol. Simple deal. They all have a sleepover, and then they discover something that unleashes the fury of the NextGen.

Wait. I need to explain the team name, don't I? The kids are the _next gen_ eration of heroes, after their parents. Do you see it? Okay. Cool.

Disclaimer: I don't own the JLA members, the YJ and TT members, or the various other heroes that belong to DC.

Once upon a time, VJR got a review. She was happy. Oh, wait, that hasn't happened yet. Maybe you could make it happen?

* * *

We played for a few hours, and then our parents decided they were going to sit on the edge of the stage and the sofa so they could talk. They don't realize that they're blocking the TV and all of the video games we wanted to use on it. Now, we're in the twins' room talking, and I don't think anyone noticed we left. I'm beside Prem, like I have been since the end of the concert. He's held my hand the whole time and his head is rested on my shoulder. We're both content.

"Hey, so you guys know that movie _Oliver & Company_? Dami and I were watching it last Friday and we realized something." Mar'i says. I'm starting to see that when she and Damian do something, it ends up being a big situation. I listen. "Okay, kitten is Oliver, Green Arrow is Oliver. Just think about that for a minute."

Bri giggles from her spot beside Spark, against one of the two doors. Dami and Mar'i are leaned up against the other door. Prem and I on his bed, and Austin is beside Des on hers. Alex and Jasper are at their feet, the former now accepting Prem rather than attempting to kill him. I still don't understand why she does this, but it happens with everyone except for those of us that have been in her life since she was born-her parents, mine, and me.

There's a loud noise downstairs and the talking increases, and with a glance we're headed down to investigate. Lian's in the kitchen, taking a piece of the chocolate-vanilla swirl cake and setting down her backpack. Alex's cousin is the daughter of Roy Harper II, clone of Roy, and Jade Nguyen, better known as the villain Cheshire. Her long red hair is curled and it reaches just past her shoulder blades. Her outfit is a simple green dress, one to match her eyes, and matching plastic heels.

We greet her and sit down to eat something ourselves, with exceptions. Damian moves to ask the other new arrival questions - Green Arrow. What a coincidence. "Hey, Ollie. Weren't you on watch duty?"

"I was, but _every_ computer went down." He shakes his head. "Electricity's fine, lights are fine, but the computer systems crashed. Cameras and all."

"So you need the Bats' help." He refers to his parents, his mother having become Batwoman in the last few months. Oliver Queen nods, and Damian looks to his parents. They promised they'd forget hero stuff for him today, just for this party, like the rest of our parents did. Bruce walks over, kneeling in front of Dami like he always does. "You know I have to go."

"I know," he says. "You always do."

"How's this," Talia puts in. "You can skip patrol."

"And sleep over?"

"I can live with that," Bruce says, and he casts a glance at Tim and Steph, who came along for the party. Apparently, Austin's brother Conner came and is hanging out with them now. "You two still have to."

"Why?" Steph asks. Talia reminds them, "Because you need to watch his precious city while he's saving the Justice League."

He rolls his eyes. Damian turns to Mar'i, asking, "You wanna rebuild that blanket fort?"

"Uh, yeah! My room. Now." She replies, and a group of us chase after them. The rest are left to the TV and the rest of our parents.

A few hours later, Alex and Jas are lying behind me on the couch. I'm playing DDR against Prem, noting that his dancing with his sister has only improved his already stellar abilities. The TV is showing a split screen, half of it reserved for the Guitar Hero competition. Damian is facing off against Mar'i, who is losing by a significant amount. Aus is talking with Connor and Kara, Des clinging to his side.

I feel wonderful tonight. We head up to Mar'i's room for bed after the competition, and I get into pajamas. Mine are fluffy silver ones and Alex's, which she puts on after I do mine, are red and cloud-like. Damian and Mar'i did indeed make a blanket fort, using all of Mar'i's pillows and blankets, plus the twins' stuff and all of our sleeping bags. It stretches from one side of the girl's bed, which faces away from the door, to the far edge of the foot of the bed.

The top is made of the blankets, held up by the windowsill, bed, and desk. The sleeping bags make up a floor, laid out so we can still use our own and roll up in them to keep warm. The pillows are stacked up against the walls, desk, and bed, making soft walls. It is large enough we can simply crawl to the corner of the bed and sit together with a flashlight on. Which we do, after everyone changes into pajamas.

Briar-Rose settles against the bed between Spark and Damian. The Wayne-al Ghul child has his girl Mar'i on his other side. I have Alex and then Jasper on my left and Prem on my right. Austin and Destiny are between him and Spark, forming a sort of lopsided circle. We sit under those blankets talking for a while before Briar-Rose tells Damian, "I want a story, Dami. Tell me a story."

"Like what?" He asks, and she says, "I don't know. But you do, so tell."

He clicks on a cylinder of silver and a circle of light appears on the blankets. He pushes two of them apart so that just above us, the flashlight can only just make a circle on the white ceiling. We all look up as his hand passes over the light and makes a shape of a girl. I look at his hands and they're simply folded flat, so I don't know how he's doing this. It's hypnotizing Alex, though, and I want the secret so I can do this again. Then, the story begins, and I'm caught up in it too. "Listen closely.

"Years and years ago, before the time started counting centuries like now, there was a system of time that was simply moments on a clock. No one noticed the passage of time, except that they slept in the dark and awoke in the daylight. In this time there were kingdoms, and in many of these kingdoms, fairy tales had their beginnings. Most had their entire lives in this time, even. One such fantasy kingdom was located on a sea, with a large forest and many people living in the cities. The people were happy, with a kind king and quaint queen. The rulers lived out their days in a castle of no time, of infinite eternity.

"The queen and king had a princess to care for, and as their castle was inside the forest, it was easy to protect her. No one knew of her existence, but when they learned they were mesmerized. Her golden hair was a treasure, her sea blue eyes jewels. Curses and poisons came toward her, but with her parents standing in their way, she knew nothing about them. The girl's friends would often invite her to the cities in times of enjoyment, and her parents would often accompany her on the trips. She did not realize that her friends' parents were her own parents' friends from times of old, from wars once fought and won on that same turf.

"Now, this girl was extremely intelligent. Her large family had much to teach her, and she was willing to learn. So she swore to be a mind of the next generation's wars, a decision maker for her friends when they went on to fight when their parents got too old. She was happy with that, and her friends were happy with her. Until one day in the home of two families of her friends, where she slept like a child in the night.

"She sat in the dark trying to get to sleep, demanding a story to be told. She didn't realize, however, that her story was the one she was looking for, and she sat, hypnotized, as the lights of the night sparkled above her head from her safe place inside a house of sleep."

It takes a few minutes for it to register. Then, Bri turns to Dami, and silently hugs him. He puts a calm arm around her waist, and we're content. Then, she says, "So we're really going to be fighting our parents' fights in the future? Together?"  
"Yeah we are. I mean, unless you don't want to?" He asks. We all gasp and then Prem says, "We're the next heroes. We need to act like it."

"I'm already Nightstar, Dami is Robin, Spark is Impulse," Mar'i reminds us. "In the morning we'll get you guys all set up. We can be heroes together."


	16. Chapter 16: Emergencies

**Author's Note:** This chapter sets up the kids in a team. It fully explains what they found out in the last chapter and it makes them heroes.

Disclaimer: I don't own any adult heroes in this chapter. They all belong to DC.

Please review. Kay thanks. Bye.

* * *

It's the middle of the night when I wake up. Talking from down the stairs is catching my attention, and I look up from my spot beside Char, who's still sleeping. Our parents must be in the living room. Destiny is in the doorway, her onesie pajamas almost glowing white. I murmur, "Des? What's going on?"

"I don't know. I'm gonna go check it out, if you want to come with." She motions for me to follow, and I accept the offer by getting up. My red flannel pajamas are thin, and I get cold easily. But I want to go see what's going on, so I follow the older girl. We go down a hall, turn a corner, and creep down the stairs. We look down the small hallway, and seeing no one, we walk to the doorway of the living room, where the voices are coming from. We look out, me below Destiny, and then we pull back, almost seen by Wally West.

I spot my parents, Garth and Roy. I don't really have a mother, so I simply use their first names. I sit back against the wall and Des reluctantly joins me, and we silently decide to listen. Jinx is saying, ". . . But we can't just leave the kids like that!"

"No. They'd need at least a few of us to look after them, minimum." Terra says. Garth pipes up, "And we can't have Alex or Charlotte go back, either. They'd get hurt."

"I'd consider leaving Lian with the rest," another voice says. As the clone of Roy, he fathered my cousin and he loves her more than anyone else in the world. I hear a rough voice and recognize it as Bruce Wayne. "They could stay at the manor. There'd be plenty of room."

"I would worry that they'd find the kids there," Raven says. "I'm not too keen about losing the twins after their being gone for two years."

"We would also have to explain to them why we're suddenly leaving for who knows how long," Clark Kent puts in. "I don't think they're just going to take the usual 'it's hero stuff' this time."

"You won't take Dami with you, will you?" I hear a new voice. I flick my head out and see Cass Cain. Bruce tells her, "I was thinking about it, why?"

"You're putting yourselves up against a Brotherhood group full of villains that can easily take three or four of us out. Alone, not together, either. You mean to tell me you think Damian will come back fine after that? I don't think so." She lectures them. "And you know he won't take kindly to all of us leaving him again. Since that incident with the Talons, we can't leave him again. You know that."

"Cass is right," Dick says. "And I don't think Mar'i and Aus will be very happy with it either."

Des turns to me, suddenly concerned. "Any idea what's going on?"

"No, but wait. Hush." I tell her. Lois Lane is talking now. "So what are we going to tell them?"

"The truth, I hope." Jason mutters. Destiny stands up and sits beside me. "Go back to the room. Wake at least Dami up," she murmurs. I can barely hear her. "If you want to you can get others up."

I nod, telling her to listen. She smiles slightly and I race down the hall, trying to be silent as possible. I get back into the room and clamber onto Mar'i's bed, reaching down to shake Damian Wayne. He shoots awake, instantly, and murmurs, "What're you doing?"

"Our parents are talking about leaving us. For what I don't know." I tell him. "Destiny got up, too, and she said to get you and anyone else I want."

"Okay. Hand me my hoodie." He crawls out from his spot, careful not to touch Mar'i, and nods to me. "Any clue what happened?"

He throws on his hoodie while I fill him in. "Your parents are back, talking about having to leave and the rest of everyone is worried about me, Char, and Lian. Oh, I'm going to get Lian up."

I shake the oldest of us all, who wakes, and follows us with hand motions. I tell her the events of the night so far, and we rejoin Des, whose eyes are wide and fearful. "They're gonna go fight basically a Brotherhood of Evil for the older villains. Joker, Poison Ivy, Heretic-"

Damian gasps and I swear he gets us discovered, but the conversation goes on. I hear Mar'i's dad say, "We can't tell Damian. He'd freak out."

"Y'all can stay in our tower when we get there," Victor says. "When d'you wanna leave?"

"How about two weeks, give or take a few days?" Kara asks. "That's enough time, I think, to get a cover for our civilian identities and explain to the kids."

The agreement gets made and the adults settle down. We look out to see them drinking mugs of either coffee or tea, and relaxing like we were earlier-some on the sofa, some on the edge of the stage, and the rest in the chairs. I look at Lian and we both turn our attention to Des and Dami, the latter an extremely experienced hero himself, as Robin. "What are we going to do?"

"Alex, I need you to get everyone up. We can meet in the twins' room," he says. "Lian, go with her. Help explain."

Five minutes later, I'm beside Charlotte and Jasper, arms crossed as I brace myself against the wall. Damian looks us over and says, "I think we're going to have to make each other heroes before morning."

"How?" Jasper asks. "We don't have light, even."

"There's materials all over this place and a workshop downstairs," Destiny says. "We can do this but it's going to take a lot of work."

"Why're we doing this, anyway?" Spark asks. His voice is slurred. "I mean; our parents are going to go anyway."

"Listen." Damian demands. "I know they're going to go. I know they're going to leave us. But we need to remind them we're still going to be here. That they've gotta come home. Or else. . .."

"Or else they're going to take time out there; forget we need them _here_." Austin says huskily. "They do it a lot."

"Let's go," Char says boldly. By morning, we're in costume and walking down the steps to our parents. Damian is Robin, Mar'i is Nightstar, Prem is Magi, Destiny is Claws, Spark is Impulse, Briar-Rose is Princess X, Charlotte is Arachnid, Austin is Krypt, Jasper is Superbat, and I'm Speedy. Lian is Miss Arrowette, having given me the identity tonight. I look over my team, as we stand now, ready for anything.

Except for facing our parents, that is.


	17. Chapter 17: Departure

**Author's Note:** This chapter sends (most) of the parents on their way into battle. It explains some of what Charlotte gave to the team to help them out. It also introduces Cameron and Katniss. I plan to explain more about them in the next story, except for what is necessary here, which is explained within the chapter. Also, I'm fairly positive this is the shortest chapter in the story. Anyway, on with the necessary evil of disclaimer.

Disclaimer: If I owned the DC characters, Raven would be a part of the BatFam. Just saying.

W. . . W. . . please.

* * *

"Do not die," I plead in my father's ear. "I will. . . miss you."

"I know. We'll be home before you know it, kid." Batman replies. "In the meantime, good luck with your team."

"You keep saying that," I tell him as he lets me go. "Like I need it."

"Oh, trust me," Dick says, pulling on his silver jacket. "You do."

Beside me, Mar'i is sitting on the steps. Our parents are leaving together, along with Jason Todd, Barbara Gordon, Cass Cain, and Tim Drake. That means Jasper and Briar-Rose are here before anyone else-they're upstairs. Tim walks down the hall with Steph, their newborn son Cameron asleep in his arms. It's amazing what two weeks could become - Stephanie was secretly carrying the kid after last summer, when they had a one-night thing and everyone was upset with them. She ended up going through an ordeal that I dare not think about now.

She's trembling while simply standing beside her boyfriend and son. That weakness is keeping her confined to the house, and she hasn't dared go down to the cave since she was revived. So she's watching over us with Cam.

Tim kisses her goodbye and joins the others at the door. Jas comes running from my game room at the last second, screaming a goodbye, and Briar-Rose follows him. She's dressed head to toe in pink, smiling. She cries, "See you soon, Daddy!"

He simply salutes her like a soldier, and she does the same, pressing a bead on her cotton candy colored bracelet. Her outfit morphs into her Princess X suit, a dress that pins to her legs like magic if she needs it to. Charlotte's tech does wonders for our hero experiment.

Mine is a silver watch modeled after Grayson's timepiece, which he wears now on his way to war. There are three links on the band part-one does my Robin costume, one does a suit for formal attire, and one does a simple civilian outfit. Mar'i wears a necklace for hers, the beads shaped like decently sized clouds. Jas has a cuff link for civilian clothes and a second for his costume. They're gold and they hook onto whatever jacket he decides to wear.

Trinity is standing beside the stairs we sit on, her newborn daughter Katniss in a sling over her chest. My newborn niece is just like her father-black hair and dark blue eyes. I swear, the girl already knows how to smirk like him.

We head into the kitchen after they're gone and order pizza, Alfred having left to help during the fighting-which means we get to have whatever junk food we want. And it hasn't arrived yet when Austin, Destiny, and Prem arrive together. The twins settle down at the kitchen counter beside Mar'i, and Steph comes over to me, where I'm sitting at the table in the adjoined dining room. "You doing okay?"

"I'm fine," I tell her. "I just hope they end up okay."

"They will be, don't worry." She sits across from me, holding little Cam. He murmurs joyfully and giggles, and I can't help but smile. She does too, looking down at her baby. He has her blonde hair and dark eyes, which are seeming to be the ones that Tim smiles at Stephanie with. "Do you wish you could've gone with them?"

"Hm? Oh. No, not really. I always knew I'd be here, that I was close to having him," she says. "Besides, I wasn't about to leave you alone again. You need somebody, Damian, and I don't know that your parents realize that."

" _Our_ parents," I remind her. "Mother made sure you were hers forever, remember?"

"Yeah." She sighs. "At least Cameron's never going to have to worry about those things."

"No. You and Tim will be there forever, I know that."

"Do you think you'll ever have any kids?" She asks. I think for a minute before answering, "Maybe. Depends on if Mar'i wants to, if she _can_ , thinking about how Koriand'r had to work to have her."

"So you've got your heart set on Dickie bird's princess," she says meticulously. "You know, I never thought he'd let her date you."

"Why?"

"He was protective, the stereotypical daddy figure. But I guess since there's no stopping you he's just letting you go off."

"I think so. And partly because he knows we've got our hearts set on one another and no one else," I remind her. "He knows I won't hurt her."

"I'm really enjoying all this gossip over me," Mar'i says from the doorway. I laugh and offer her a spot next to me. She smiles and settles her head on my shoulder, sitting down at my side. It's temporary, because she's called into the kitchen a few minutes later. Steph watches her go and then murmurs, "I guess I should help, too. Would you hold Cam for me? He's asleep."

"Yeah, I will," I tell her in the same soft tone. I take the tiny baby and hold his blanket-swaddled form against my chest. His long lashes are closed over his pale skin, so much like Steph's. He snuggles into me and I sit back with my newborn nephew-the son of my sister and brother, somehow.


	18. Chapter 18: I Never Thought

**Author's Note:** This chapter explains what the NextGen is doing in their parents' absence. You got it: patrol. And since Alex and Jasper are so little, they can't go. And they _hate_ it. It'll cause problems later, so pay attention to it now.

Disclaimer: Why would you think I own DC characters? I don't.

Review if you love the story so far, or if you don't! Constructive criticism, right?

* * *

Five weeks after that first night, Damian is organizing nightly patrols. He is keeping Alex and I at the manor, babysitting so that my aunts Trinity and Stephanie can supervise the two cities being watched over. Superbat and Speedy have to wait until they are older before they can patrol, he says. Otherwise we would be going out with them tonight. He is speaking and I'm listening halfway so that I can fill Alex in when she gets out of the shower. We still have bedtime to meet!

"I'm going to switch things up a bit tonight. Let's put the twins, Austin, and Charlotte on Jump and the rest of us on Gotham. I want to see how we work with other people," Damian is saying. I shake my head. Destiny and Austin will probably spend the whole night with each other and forget all about patrol. Aunt Trinity nods. "Sounds good to me. I'll go with, as per usual."

"Thank you," he nods. Aunt Stephanie comes into the room, her cowl down and her suit all ready. "I'm ready when my patrol is," she says. It seems to be a habit with her, to repeat that line. "So get dressed."

"Go, quickly. It's almost nine and the route to the zeta is at least a fifteen-minute walk." Damian orders. The twins speed off together, their companions on their heels. Spark, with benefit of his speed-powers, is off with Briar-Rose in his arms. He likes to take off with her each night. Mar'i, her Nightstar outfit already on, stays with Damian even though he can't go patrol. He takes turns with her to babysit, since no one else is old enough to be left alone with us. He whispers something to her and I press against the doorway. Did I mention that I'm listening in secret?

Alex joins me a second later. "Hey," she whispers, crouching down against the wall beside me. "What're they doing?"  
"Twins, Aus, Char in Jump, the rest here. Dami's here tonight. They're getting dressed," I tell her. We're at the top of the stairs in the cave, sitting on a landing just above the computers. Mar'i and Damian are beside the system, and the discussion took place on a platform slightly lower than that. Aunt Stephanie and Aunt Trinity are on the-wait. They're not there anymore, I hope-too late.

"And what might you two be doing down here?" Aunt Trinity asks, as if we've just run into one another at the store or something. Alex leaps in before I can say anything. "Listening in on the patrol orders, what does it look like?"

"You two know you're supposed to be getting ready for bed," Aunt Steph chides. I shake my head. "We both showered and our teeth are brushed! We're ready for bed already!"  
"Then why are you down here, rather than sleeping?" Aunt Trinity retorts. Alex fires back, "We're learning. We'll be on the field someday and we'll do better if we know the routine beforehand."

"As mad as I am at you, I can't fight right now," Aunt Stephanie says. "Just go upstairs. Damian will be up in ten minutes, and if I find out you're not in bed by then, I _will_ call your parents."

"No!" I gasp, horrified. She can't do that; Barbara will kill me! I have to be good while she's gone. But my aunt nods, and the two of us reluctantly go back into the house. Once we're in our bedroom, we get under the covers and wait for Damian. He arrives soon enough and stands in the doorway for a second. Then, he shakes his head and comes in. "You two ready for bed already?"

"Aunt Trinity and Aunt Stephanie made sure we did," Alex grumbles. He shakes his head, moving to her bed and motioning for me to come over. I obey swiftly. "They said something about that. I think they're overreacting."

"They said they'd call our parents," I mutter. "I don't wanna get in trouble, and I promised Kara and Barbie that I'd be good."

"You've been fantastic. Better than some of the others," he puts in. "I've got Cam and Kat asleep, for now, so be quiet, okay? But I can tell a story."

"Yes, please," Alex tells him. He nods. "One of my Robin stories?"

I nod, slipping under the blanket and next to Alex. She scoots over a little and I put my head down on the pillows. He starts talking about one night with Uncle Jay and Uncle Dick and how they dragged Poison Ivy off to Arkham. . ..

The next thing I know, I'm waking up in my own bed, across the room from Alex. She's awake too, and I listen for whatever woke me. She presses a finger to her lips and I motion her over to me. She sits down on the bed with me and we listen to voices downstairs. Excitement reaches me, and I figure they're in the front room and below the stairs. I don't immediately recognize the people talking, but then it hits me. I hear Kara saying something and I catch my own name. I feel a rush and I want to run to see if she's really there right that moment. But I look to my companion and all I see is a confused, scared look.

I wait. She lights up when she realizes and she has to pinch herself to check that she is indeed awake. We lock eyes in the dark and then she whispers a plan in my ear. "Do you want to go see? Go make sure?"

"Um, yeah!" I whisper back. "And then what? If they really are?"

"We run back here and get dressed. We gotta be stealthy, though, or we won't be able to."

"Get dressed?"

"Odds are, they're still in costume. It would be the only appropriate way to greet them."

"Superbat sees Oracle and Supergirl while Speedy sees Tempest and Arsenal." I murmur. "You're right. That does sound only fitting."

So we do. We sneak down the hall with quiet, careful footsteps. Alex is ahead of me and she is creeping almost silently along the wall. We reach the top of the staircases within minutes, and the people below continue to talk.

I catch Kara's familiar murmuring voice. I'm learned in finding words within the mumbling, so I can make out most of her words. "Figured you kids would want us to get back as soon as possible-and it looks like we showed up at the perfect time."

"Yeah." Austin sounds so sleepy. He always is after patrol. He, Des, Prem, and Char are on one side of the balcony, which has two staircases coming down. On one side of those stairs are the four of them, Mar'i off to one side, her father holding her with one arm.

I smile when I see Barbie and Kara sitting together, the redhead in her wheelchair and the blonde on a small table by the door.

My grandparents, both the ones who adopted Barbara and the ones who raised Kara, are all sitting together. Damian is with his father, looking like he's just woken up-a little tired, but mostly ready for anything. Trinity is resting heavily against Jason, and their daughter Briar-Rose is bouncing around at their feet and talking a mile a minute.

As if she isn't talking enough, just beside her Spark is telling his father something faster than an average person can talk. I listen for a minute, and the conversation becomes a still pool of water in comparison to the whirlpool it was when we came. Alex looks down at the men who fathered her, and I take in my mothers.

Roy is talking now, asking if perhaps we're asleep until the morning, and I bite my tongue. It keeps me from laughing out loud, so I can sneak away with my redheaded friend in front of me for once. We get back to our room and get dressed in the costumes Damian helped us make back in Titans' Tower.

The Superbat outfit is easy to put on and not made of heavy material like Damian's costume. He let me wear it when I came over with Barbie once. My costume is just fabric for now, but will be rubber when I get to finally go out on patrol. The logo across the chest is a dark blue bat with a red super symbol on the inside and the rest of the costume is black. The cape, which has jagged edges and ripples when I walk, is metallic navy. It mixes the Supergirl and Batgirl costumes that Kara wears and Barbie did before she was paralyzed.

Alex's Speedy costume is nearly identical to the one her father wore during his time as a Teen Titan, before even the Brotherhood of Evil battle. It has a hat, however, that she retrieved from old boxes of his things once. It has a fake feather out of one side, fluffy and bright red. The rest of the hat is a stereotypical archer's hat and is bright yellow. Lian's father owned the hat before he found out he was a clone and he saved Alex's father's life. She wears it with pride and betters her shot with a bow.

Right when we try to leave, Katniss cries out. She's much louder than Cam, and I recognize Uncle Jason's voice as he holds his daughter for the first time since he left. Alex whispers in my ear, "We'll have to wait until they're gone."

"Yeah. And maybe a little after since we don't want them to think they woke us up."

"Why does that matter?"

"Because it's our idea!" I say, and then gasp, instantly going quiet. I whisper once I'm sure they're gone. "You know Aunt Trinity. She'll find us and walk us on out there and the whole surprise will be ruined!"


	19. Chapter 19: Home Again

**Author's Note:** All I'm gonna say is that this chapter explains how their parents returned and then it gets really eerie.

Disclaimer: I'm done. I've written out too many of these lately. You already know what I'm gonna say.

Review if you want to!

* * *

I listen to Daddy talk, my twin by my side and my girl one step below me. We were patrolling the city for our parents, caught in a fight where we were just barely overpowered. They'd jumped in from the roof and-oh, the rush swallows me as I remember just a few hours ago.

 _Destiny's eyes gleamed beneath her mask. Her uniform, which stretched with her half-shifts and disappeared with her full changes, shone with the water it was soaked in. She glanced at me and I met her gaze, which was sparkling with a little fear._

 _With our luck, of course the others would be on the far side of the city. I could see why Austin and Charlotte weren't allowed to patrol with us, if Damian had us trying to work with others. I had been with Charlotte for most patrols in the last week and Destiny did almost anything to be with Austin. Auntie Trin went with them because they're younger, of course._

 _We were backed into a corner by none other than Fang himself. I had always been secretly afraid of him, but who could blame me? A half spider, half man creature would terrify all normal kids. And I was six the last time I saw him in person rather than a nightmare._

 _Just when all hope was lost, like in the movies, Raven and Beast Boy dropped from the ceiling beams and fought him down. He was in a police van before we had a chance to speak, and when we did we only embraced for a moment and ran off for the rest of the patrol. We took out thugs and a group of jewelry store robbers before it was time to head back to the zeta and our route home._

 _We arrived just in time to see Austin with his parents and Tim beside Stephanie. Charlotte's parents had just gone through, or I assumed such at least. The old bus station made for a better zeta than the one we would go through in Gotham, and it didn't glow light as bad. But it did, and I watched as I thought to myself that we'd be back in the Manor with all of our parents soon._

I hear one of the babies cry upstairs. No sooner than the girls can decide that it's Katniss, the other starts to wail. I yawn as the babies' parents head upstairs. I remember that Tim and Jason haven't seen their little ones since they left, just over a month and a half ago.

They come down the stairs. Katniss, her messy black hair tousled by sleep and her dark blue eyes wide, is in Jason's arms. Cam's with Tim, laughing and making the man smile. We settle down and they start to talk about where they went in the last little while and then-crash.

Alex is on the balcony above the stairs, her bow aimed at Garth and Roy. Roy is wrapped in duct tape patterned with the word "Speedy" in various fonts all over it. Garth is trying not to laugh and smiling immensely up at her. She has a sparkling smile too, and Jasper has his arms folded over the railing in front of them. He looks about ready to burst, in his dark leather Superbat costume.

She laughs and Jas rests his head on his arms, sleepy-looking and content. They end up walking down the stairs and Jas climbs onto Barbie's lap, curling up against his paralyzed mother. Kara kisses his forehead and I guess he's happy. Alex is explaining the new arrows to Roy while Garth untangles him from the tape. They seem almost used to it already.

I yawn and lean against Destiny. Mom walks over and picks me up, saying something, but I'm too gone to notice. I'm tired, and I know I'm safe. I can sleep for a while, and when I wake, I'll be near my parents and my sister. I won't be alone like I was for so long in New York.

When morning comes, however, I am alone. I'm in my own bed and it's eerily quiet compared to what I remember from the night before. Was it a dream? But I catch Des's eyes, and she's looking around wildly. I know it wasn't.

I get up, and still in my pajamas, I walk to the doorway. Nothing, no one, except for one open door. Alex and Jasper's room is casting a pool of sunlight into the hall. Two little shadows are flitting across the light and I look back to Des. I motion her over and dare to break the silence.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know." She replies. I'm afraid, because I know my parents wouldn't leave us if they had a choice. Mom would wake me and Destiny if she was going somewhere, and she would make sure we were okay before leaving. She has every time since we came home, and Dad's always been beside her. He would kiss us goodbye and we'd wish him good luck on whatever mission it was. They wouldn't leave for little things like going to the store. If they had to, they would take us with them, even if we were in pajamas and it was the middle of the night.

I walk to the open door, where Jas and Alex are inside, panicking. "What if they had to leave again, and just came to visit? No, then they'd tell us. Something had to have happened, Jasper. Something _bad_."

"Yeah, but stay calm. They'd want us to." I watch Jas sigh, shaking behind Alex's back. He is as scared as she is. And then I realize why it's so quiet. The other kids aren't around, either.


	20. Chapter 20: Panic

**Author's Note:** It's going to be dark for a few chapters. The end looks up, I promise.

Disclaimer: Nope. Just nope.

Review!

* * *

I hear Prem's voice and I shiver. It's too quiet this morning. I know Daddy was back last night, I can still feel his warmth where he was lying beside me for a time. I get up and pick baby Katniss up from her crib next to Mom's bed, where I spent the night. I head out to investigate the silence with my sister, in case there's some danger. I bet that's what Dami would do.

I find Spark, Prem, Destiny, Alex, and Jasper all in the youngest kids' room. All are in pajamas and Alex is freaking out. "What if they're hurt or something? And we're sitting here and not doing anything?"

"Alex," Spark says firmly. She looks up from her panic for a second. "They're fine. They can handle themselves just fine."

"What if they can't?" Her scared, broken whisper is enough to make me wonder if they're truly alright. Alex is usually so composed that when she's not, I listen to her. I walk in, careful with Katniss. I settle down beside my friends on one of the two beds.

"Well, we aren't doing much here, that's true," Des puts in. "We should find them, or at least get everyone in here and figure something out. I vote for option two."

"No. We have to get our parents back, okay? What if they're _dead_? What do we do then? And let's say they're fine. Why aren't they with us? Last night they said they wouldn't leave us for a long while. Why did they? Something is really, really wrong." Alex continues to panic. "I'm _afraid_ , afraid of what will happen and what did happen. What if there's someone in the house with us? We'll be killed! What if they took our parents for some reason? What then? What do we do?"

Alex needs to stop. She's worrying Jasper, I can visibly see it in the boy's eyes. Des is a little worried, as is Prem, but they know how to keep it to a minimum. They've handled themselves while alone before.

They've never had to deal with four-year-olds in a panicked frenzy, however. The only one here who has is Charlotte-that's it. Charlotte can calm Alex down, she has before. She's lived with Alex her whole life. She knows the little girl, she can help.

I whisper my plan to Spark, and he leans close to me. "I'll go. You've got a sleepy little girl to worry about."

"Okay. Thank you," I murmur. He gives me a quick smile, and then gets up. I lean against the wall, my sister with her head against my chest. I realize I probably woke her. I give her a smile, and she smiles back. All she knows is unconditional love from Mom and I, and Dad now that he's back. She probably doesn't even remember him.

I sigh. She's so little, and she's still been involved in hero business already. Justice League members have held her, Teen Titans have babysat both her and I, members of the Young Justice team have met her. They were concerned about her safety when deciding the best way on how to go on a mission to save the world. Katniss, a brave little girl with the power to shake the earth to the ground. This I know because she was playing with a few geodes Mom had sitting on her nightstand, and she ended up throwing them across the room and leaving marks on the wall. And that was weeks ago, even now she's less than two months old.

Spark comes back a few minutes later with Charlotte, looking sleepy, and Austin, who is somewhat more awake than her but is still obviously tired. The girl watches Alex for a moment before walking over and kneeling down. She murmurs, "Alexandria, I need you to listen to me. What's wrong?"

"Roy and Garth are gone, and so are everyone else's parents." She says. "I'm worried about them!"

"Why are you worried?"

"Because there's a million things that could be wrong. They wouldn't be gone if there wasn't."

"What if they're gone for a good reason, like a surprise or something? Why don't we calm down, both of us, and we'll wake everyone up and go figure this out, alright?" She persuades. The girl eventually gives in and they both get up. The twins stand with Char and Alex, and I gather Katniss and myself. Spark walks beside me as I carry her, ever so carefully. We find Lian, Damian, Mar'i, and Cameron in the older boy's room, sitting on the bed. Charlotte hurries to explain everything to him and we all walk downstairs together.

What we find shocks us all. There's an iPad on the kitchen table and a scrawled note beside it. Austin gasps and reads the note. "It's from my dad," he murmurs. "It says, 'The tablet will explain everything. Keep safe, and do what you have to. Everything will end up okay.' And then my parents and Dami's signed it."

"They didn't want me to worry," he mutters. "Of course. All of my siblings are gone and so are my parents, so they made sure I knew they were still alive."

He has Cameron curled up asleep in his arms. Mar'i turns the iPad on and a video appears. She turns the sound up enough that we can hear, and she presses play.

A face that we all know appears. The Joker. Several other villains show up, and some I know. Brother Blood, one of Charlotte's parents' enemies, Deathstroke, an enemy of the Teen Titans, and quite a few that I don't know. The Joker speaks for them all, however. "We have your parents down in the secret lair beneath your manor. You have until nine o' clock tonight to come get them. Keep in mind that we have blocked off all accesses to the cave and out of the house with energy fields. If you can get down here, we'll go easy on you and fight. If you win, we'll let you free them and they can do the rest. Good luck failing!"

The video ends, and I'm left chilled. We need a plan, and fast.


	21. Chapter 21: Proving Ourselves

**Author's Note:** Just imagine "Eye of the Tiger" playing through this chapter. I wrote it while listening to that.

Disclaimer: You know the drill. It belongs to DC. Most of it, anyway.

Review, will you?

* * *

I swallow as the blackness of the video's end consumes the screen. I start to think at a speed I thought only Spark could function at. I'll have to check the exits myself, we'll have to keep Alex and Jasper as safe as we can upstairs. They can babysit Katniss and Cameron if we move the cribs into their room, and the babies will sleep.

I realize the others expect me to give them my plan. I sigh, and then take control. I am one of the two most experienced and oldest people here, other than Lian, but she's clueless as to what to do. I know her parents were a bit protective of her.

"First off, let's get upstairs and in my room. I'll explain there." We trot up and I give Cam to Mar'i, who takes him gently. He's asleep by now. "Alex. Jas. I need serious help from the two of you, alright?"

They nod. I continue, "You need to watch Cam and Kat. Instructions were to keep everyone safe, and I know you two will be best watching them. I need everyone else on duty to fight. Alright?"

"We can," Alex says, "We'll do best up here."

She's reluctant, but I know she means it. This will be a mission not taken lightly. "For everyone else, I need some help. We'll get both cribs into their room, put the babies in there, and they can stay where they are. Prem, Des, Char, and Aus, you're on exit check duty. Go through the house and see what you find. If we can get in the cave the easy way, we will. Meanwhile, Mar'i and Lian, you're with me. We're going to have to do most of the fighting and I want you two to get a little more training in before then. I'll get you the basics of some advanced attacks before we have to fight. Spark, Briar-Rose, help Alex and Jas. I'll have someone come get you when we move on to step two."

That happens in about an hour. I call all but the four youngest to the den, where they all sit on the huge sofa set. I instruct them on what to do, based on what the patrol found. "Thank you to my patrol. We found out that the laundry shoot is open, and then we can slip down to the cave through there. Des flew down as a bird and checked it out for me.

"We realized that we can drop down into the laundry room, go through the door, and it pops us out onto the stairs down to the cave. Surprise is going to help us here, because we can hide in the shadows and jump out at them." I take a small breath, and then continue. "Char, we're going to need all-black costumes. Is there any way possible we can weave them into the tech changers?"

"Of course. But it would cut us short on time," she says. "I could get them done in four hours, maybe a little more."

"Can you start now? It's half past ten, and we have until nine tonight." She nods, and she says, "I'm going to have to put together our costumes again. Could I get some help with supplies?"

"Of course. Anyone you need. The rest of you, we're going to get in a little more practice. There's a big room upstairs we can use." I lead them up to the big gym-like area almost directly above where we just were, and I headcount. She took Prem and Destiny. "Alright. Lian, talk to me for a second."

She walks over. "Thanks for leading us," she whispers. "I've never been in something this big before."

"It's like a hostage thing," I tell her quietly. To refer to something involving our parents like this would panic the others if they heard. "We have to have one group get people out and another to busy the people holding them."

"Who goes where is our only concern now," she realizes. I nod, and then I tell her, "You'll lead the fight, alright? I'll give you all but Spark and Bri."

"Okay. And I'll train them as such. Wait, why them?"

"Spark can, once we get there, get everyone out quickly. Briar-Rose has been down in the cave more than anyone else, so she knows the layout better. She'll navigate it better." I explain. "I'm going to train them separately, if that's alright."

"Sounds good." She slips off and I let her take command for a minute, and I draw the youngest of us off for a special session. Why they took our parents in the first place worries me, but the fear of failing is worse than that. If we lose today, there's a good chance someone will lose their life. I don't want that to happen.


	22. Chapter 22: Alive

**Author's Note:** This chapter is just a continuation of the last one, and it starts the kids' battle to save their parents.

Disclaimer: I don't own. DC does. DC also owns BvS, which I'm going to go see for my birthday present. I rarely go to movies but I have to see this one.

Review or I'll unleash the NeXtGen on you!

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I finish the suits in record time, but it's still almost three when I do. We suit up and each person tests theirs, and once we've finished Damian and Lian call a meeting. Lian begins, and I'm glad that she's stepped up beside him. Both are very strong and they deserve their leader positions. She begins talking.

"You've all worked so hard today. I'm proud of all of you, and I'm positive that our parents are, too." She pauses for Damian to speak. "You know the plan by now, or at least most of you do. We'll run over it one more time."

"I'll take Charlotte, Prem, Destiny, Austin, and Mar'i. We'll go down first to distract and take out the majority of whoever is down there. Just fight like you want everyone to stay alive," she says brightly. I sigh in laughter, not really wanting to giggle at the moment but finding her funny. Damian continues after the laughing quiets. "Spark, Briar-Rose, and myself will go to free our parents. We'll double back and help you out, and they can handle the rest. Got it?"

"Why are we doing this?" Bri asks. Her voice is so small; I can't help it. I have to put out, "Yeah, why are they… why are they doing this to us? We're kids. We can't do this."

"First, we can totally do this." Lian says. "Second, our parents are counting on us to get them out. I don't know why, I barely know how, but I know we will. We're the NeXtGen, right? The kid heroes? We can do this."

My faith is a small, weak beating within my heart, but it is there. I don't know what's going to come but it will, no matter what I do, and I need my parents. This is the only way to get them back.

I swallow the fear. My suit is glittering black metal, against my skin like ice. My wings are protected with a sheet of armor, too. I'm going to train and get better, but for now, I will be alright. We are rushing the villains in the cave, each of us taking one. Lian rushes their leader, as she is supposed to.

The twins and I stay close. Prem and Des fight side by side, swapping enemies at one point. They're not even trying and we're getting worn out. I see a group of four try to slip off toward a secluded part of the cave and I pray that the others can handle them. I would attack myself but Brother Blood has me locked in combat.

I know now why our parents didn't want us to fight crime when we were just kids.

I take a sweet, single breath. It's not getting any easier and I know it's been awhile. What if the others failed? How are we supposed to succeed if our parents don't come to bail us out? There was no backup plan. This was a one-shot kind of deal.

And they don't come. I realize we're going to have to regroup in the heat of a battle if we want something to change. I think of what we can do, and an idea comes fairly easily.

I start backing up after each blow. The twins notice and follow, a questioning look in Des's eyes. I get close enough to whisper to Prem. "I'm going small. I'll get to Lian. We all change into our colored costumes for a minute, and it'll distract enough to get us together in a group. We're too spread out to do anything."

"Good luck," he murmurs. I don't know how I lived when he was gone. I need that boy around so that I can even breathe.

I shrink down to the size of a regular bee and shoot through the scene. I land on Lian's shoulder and whisper in her ear. She knows that it's me. "We've gotta switch to color costumes. It'll distract them and we can run into one spot. We're too far apart; nothing is working."

"Yeah. Tell Prem to link us mentally, because I know he can. I'll tell everyone that way, they won't hear us either," she whispers. I sigh. I shoot back to where I came from, I transform, and I launch a blow while I have the shock I caused. The self-inflicted cyborg parts that the man has temporarily glitch. I hit a pressure point.

I whisper quickly to Prem and he obeys. We're soon in a circle, Austin behind me and Prem, Des between him and the boy. Lian is on my other side. We launch timed blows now that we can coordinate, and I think we're improving. But it's going to take a lot more than us to finish this battle.


	23. Chapter 23: Victory

**Author's Note:** This is it. This is the end of the story. Stick around, okay? I'm also going to add part of the first chapter of NextGen - Sugar Dreams, which is the next story in the series. There's at least four in the works right now, and honestly, I don't care if not one person reads what I put out. Someday someone will come along and read it and be grateful I did this. Like I usually do, and get to a story that ends abruptly or doesn't _have_ an end, because no one read it.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything DC owns. You know what I mean.

Review please!

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Of course nothing went like we planned. I have one villain chasing me, but I move fast. Briar-Rose is trying to fend off two of them and Damian another, but we rush to where they obviously don't want us near. I hope the others can hold out for a little bit.

I hit him so fast he's dazed, and Damian lands a successful blow. He takes on one of Briar's opponents and calls out to me. "Spark! You have to go on ahead. Find them and get them out. We'll follow if we can. We're all relying on you now, okay?"

"Good luck," I cry, afraid. Time slows to almost a halt as I race down the cavernous tunnels, adrenaline mixing with terror for the future.

My name is Spark because my parents knew from day one that I would have to fight in my lifetime. They knew I would have to have a little bit more than just a spark in me if I was going to end up the winner. I don't think they realized that it would be six years later when I would be rescuing them from-oh my God.

They are trapped in capsules. At first I think it's just glass, but it's frosted too much. I recognize the mark of Captain Cold, and I realize he froze them in suspended animation. I begin to feel icy fingers travel up my spine and my breath catches, slower than I think I can handle. I'm panicking.

"No." I force myself to halt, and breathe again. Everyone's counting on me, I have to calm down. While I've kept composed this whole time, I realize now that if this wasn't the case, our parents would've fought back. They were forced to write that note from down _here_ and then they were frozen. They were scared too.

I see my mom first. She's the first one I see, her breath exploding in an angelic panic attack. That's what puts me on the floor, in a state of shock. But I realize they're not dead, or dying, just staying. And they can probably see me.

But I stay on the floor. What do I do? There's nothing but their icy glass cages here. And then I come up with a plan. I have super speed. I can run fast enough to generate heat, which will melt them. I then can vibrate enough energy to make heat to pop the glass open. I will save them.

I start to run, afraid of what will come. One lap, two, three, four, I'm up to fifty in less than five seconds. I lose count at about the two-minute mark, and I realize they're starting to move. Little twitches, a single finger bending to a fist.

I keep an eye on my parents especially. My dad is the first one free, shaking enough to free himself. I slow and help him pop the lock off his case. Then, we nod to one another and start circling while I fill him in. He asks a question that gets answered, then we repeat.

"'The other kids are fighting right now?" "All but Damian and Briar." "Where are they?" "Defending me. I had to go on ahead." "Did you panic?" "A little. I'm fine." "You know that anxiety thing in genetic, you've got it in your blood." "I'm fine! I have speed powers; I think faster than Mom does. I recover quicker." The others are loosening now, but we still don't stop. Damian and Briar-Rose rush in and use gadgets to pop the cages, and I slow to a skidding stop. "What took so long?"

"The others had to fall back. We had to put up a plan b and Prem mind-linked us in. We had to tell him what happened. It took a little too long." Damian explains. "They're not doing so well."

"Then let's go help them," Talia's voice is commanding, but gentle. We rush the best we can to the largest part of the cave, where a battle is in full swing. Our parents drop down and Trinity halts Briar-Rose and I. "Jenni and I talked. You two stay back. We'll handle this. Get your friends all together and up by the computers."

"What about you?" My companion asks frantically. "I'll be fine. I do this all the time."

"You're still not all good after having Kat," she whimpers. "And Steph's in a lot of pain, I know so."

"Alright, you win. I'll help you and get Stephanie, we'll get back with you. Still, go get the other kids." Bri nods and I sigh. She smiles. "Mind link, remember? I'll call them up."

She closes her eyes and I hear rushing footsteps. We move to the computers, but a heavy set of footsteps stops us just before the stairs. Then, I hear Lian call gently, "Come on up! I got Aus and Char!"

"Oh, thank goodness." Briar bursts up in front of me and I see the three of them standing against the railing, watching. I can't help but look out at the fray and find my parents. They are together and working on a combination move, which makes two villains rush off. We're not too far from the fighting, but we're still too far to help.

Damian comes up with us a bit later, and he's not looking too good. His face is bleeding on one side and bruised on the other. "Got in a scuffle. The twins went missing, and Prem's link is down."

"Yeah. Just stay up here, alright? We'll find them," Lian reassures him. We wait, looking out, but the animagi and sorcerer are gone from the scene. Steph and Trin come up and Dami fills his sister in, who gasps. "They weren't with us. We thought they were here."

If they took the twins away again, their parents won't be able to cope. Briar and Char will die, and Mar'i-oh. "Mar'i is gone, too, you guys."

A crashing sound makes us look up. Lois and Tim are pushing things off the balcony onto the fighting. The heroes are easily dodging them and the villains are gasping, barely avoiding what could crush them. They end up running toward the one tunnel that lets out easily, and then I see the lost kids. The twins and Mar'i are _chasing them_ out of the cave. I hear their screams from where I'm sitting.

"And if you ever do come back, we'll kill ya!" Prem screams. Des laughs and choruses after him, "Yeah! We'll kill ya!"

Mar'i is practically dying of laughter. I realize that they're quoting _Lion King_ and I laugh too. The NeXtGen has won this time, and it won't be the last. We're an official team, we've proved what we can do to our parents, and they let us fight. We're okay.


	24. Sneak Peek: NextGen II - Think of You

Hey guys! So this is a sneak peek or preview or whatever of the second NeXtGen story, and since I know this story has a couple followers, I wanted to let you know that this story is up now! It's called "Think of You" and it can be found on my page(since won't let me post any links.) Thanks for reading, and I hope you liked it!

"And Abby is just so cute. I love her so much." Alex tells me. I'm sitting in the backseat of my parents' car, as we drive somewhere, and we're video chatting. "I miss when we were all together, though. I woke up last night thinking I'd go crawl in bed with Jas, since it was so cold, and there I was alone."

"So what did you end up doing? He's back in Kansas." I ask. She sighs. "I went to my parents' room, of course. Abby was in her crib and she woke up, so we were all awake for a little bit. Don't think Garth went back to sleep for hours."

"Kat does that a lot. One of us will wake up and end up waking the other, even though she's only a toddler."

"It's kind of nice, just so you know, to have a friend." She puts in. I reply, "Isn't it? You have to come out sometime, by the way. You're not sitting on the East Coast all alone anymore."

"I hope not. I wish we could come on missions with you," she says. "I heard the twins got to go to _Alaska_ last time."

"They did, the lucky dogs. Yeah, Spark and I are partners, so when we get an assignment we go together. We haven't yet, and I bet it's because we're the little ones."

"It sucks being the youngest." She says, and I have to agree. "We're always stuck at home, and no one takes us seriously. But then again, we don't get worn out from missions. We stay home and play when we're not on patrol."

"That's true, I guess. Anyway, what's going on? We're flying out to Gotham for some meeting at Wayne Manor." I shrug. "Don't know. I'm-hey, Mom, Dad, where are we going?"


End file.
